Lunch and Learn will Feature Curtis Zunigha
Curtis Zunigha, enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians (Oklahoma) is co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center in New York City.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 City.
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. Their aim: To foster deeper learning and engagement in ways that honor Indigenous peoples and cultures, and the history and ongoing legacy and impact of colonialism.
On Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. 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 this page or contact community@scranton.edu or 570-941-4419.
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 Zunigha where he will share his traditions and the present-day culture of the Lenape people. Click here to register for the lunch and learn. Or, contact diversity@scranton.edu or 570-941-6645 with any questions and to register.
Zunigha is an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma. He possesses more than 35 years of experience in tribal government and administration, community development, telecommunications, and cultural preservation. He is an acknowledged expert on Delaware/Lenape culture, language, and traditional practices. 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 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). Zunigha is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
