Events Calendar

The Office of Community and Government Relations, and Scranton's Story: Our Nation's Story, in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Diversity, are pleased to announce the return of Curtis Zunigha, enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians (Oklahoma) and co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center in New York.

Mr. Zunigha was featured last November via Zoom, in a D+I=A Better U! lunch and learn. His visit to campus this year will include public events, and university and community stakeholder meetings aimed at fostering deeper learning and engagement in ways that honor Indigenous peoples and cultures and the history and ongoing legacy and impact of colonialism.

On Friday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m., a Faculty/Staff Diversity and Inclusion Lunch & Learn, hosted by the Office of Equity and Diversity in the Kane Forum, will feature a special presentation and musical performance by Curtis Zunigha where he will share his music, traditions and the present-day culture of the Lenape people. Registrationis required for teh lunch and learn. Go to https://forms.office.com/r/1Hrtf3XzzP or contact diversity@scranton.edu or 570-941-6645 with any questions and to register.

ALSO, PUBLIC KEYNOTE LECTURE ON NOV. 17

On Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Curtis Zunigha will offer a public keynote lecture on Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming in the DeNaples Ballroom. Zunigha will share his experience and mission to heal the wounds of forced removal and colonization and his desire is to restore the circle of friendship, respect, and shared occupancy. This lecture is part of the Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and supported by a Diversity initiatives Grant through the Office of Equity and Diversity.

Faculty are encouraged to send students to this important event. For more information, visit https://www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory/themes/indigenous-history-of-nepa/forced-removal-of-the-lenape-people-history-and-homecoming.html or contact community@scranton.edu or 570-941-4419.

 Curtis Zunigha is an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma. He has over thirty-five years of experience in tribal government & administration, community development, telecommunications, and cultural preservation. He is an acknowledged expert on Delaware/Lenape culture, language, and traditional practices. Mr. Zunigha is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Lenape Center, based in New York City. The Lenape Center promotes the history and culture of the Lenape people through the arts, environmental activism, social justice and agricultural practices. The Lenape Center’s work represents the return of the original Indigenous people to their original homeland of Lenapehoking (NY, NJ, PA). Curtis Zunigha is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.