Major Upcoming ‘Scranton’s Story’ Events to Highlight Migration and Native American Experiences

The “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, a National Endowment for the Humanities-funded initiative of The University of Scranton and community partner organizations, will be highlighting two themes with major upcoming events this fall. One will feature international writers with an interactive story exchange as a part of the project’s “From ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” theme, and the other, the return of an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe to his ancestral homeland as a part of the project’s “Indigenous History of NEPA” theme.

To celebrate and pay tribute to the histories and stories of Scranton’s immigrants, past and present, on Tuesday, Oct. 25, the University and partners will host a special interactive event, “All the Places We Come From: Stories, Food, & Community.” The evening will begin with appetizers and sweets from Scranton's multi-ethnic restaurants, include story-sharing around the theme of migration, and feature nationally- acclaimed writers Anna Badhken, Angie Cruz, Chinelo Okparanta, and Joseph O’Neill. The program will be facilitated by the artist-driven international empathy building organization, Narrative 4, and will provide an opportunity to consider the place of culture and migration in our local and national identity. Doors will open at 5:30 pm and the event will run from 6 - 7:30 in Shopland Hall, Scranton Cultural Center. Register at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/placeswecomefrom.

The migration theme also includes a connected Hope Horn Gallery Exhibition, "Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala. Photographs by Byron Maldonado," which runs from Oct. 7 - Nov. 18. Then, on Dec. 5, a roundtable discussion,“The Journey from ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” will feature local resource speakers from a range of backgrounds, in collaboration with the Schemel Forum.

In November, the project will return to the theme of “Indigenous History of NEPA” with a very special event, “Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming,” a keynote talk with Curtis Zunigha. He is an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma and co-director and co-founder of the Lenape Center in New York. Now living and working in Lenapehoking, the Lenape ancestral homeland, Zunigha will share his experience and mission to heal the wounds of forced removal and colonization and his desire to restore the circle of friendship, respect, and shared occupancy. This event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in The DeNaples Center Ballroom at The University of Scranton. It marks the first return of Zunigha to this part of his ancestral homeland. Registration required at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Zunigha. This visit will coincide with Native American History month and is also sponsored by the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity.

For more information and to view upcoming events and recordings of past events, please visit www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory.

Questions? Contact community@scranton.edu or call 570-941-4419.

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