Noted anti-racism scholar to hold virtual presentation hosted by SUNY Orange

SUNY Orange and SUNY Buffalo State College will jointly host a free 60-minute virtual lecture on “Confronting Racism in America” by noted anti-racism scholar, professor, author and historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Monday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m.

The two institutions have arranged Kendi’s appearance in conjunction with the State University of New York’s year-long “64 Changes on 64 Campuses” initiative intended to reaffirm SUNY’s system-wide commitment to diversity. Kendi’s lecture will serve as the keynote event for SUNY Orange’s “Global Initiative: Confronting Racism in America” series.

Titled “How to be an Anti-Racist: In Conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi,” will feature a 45-minute moderated interview-style presentation followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session developed from questions submitted in advance. One moderator from each college will partner to co-host the presentation and oversee the Q&A.

The session will be hosted on SUNY’s WebEx platform and attendance is limited to 1,000 registrants.

“Recent national events, coupled with the terrible impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, have reinforced that racial inequities and social injustice in our nation are far from being resolved,” said SUNY Orange president Dr. Kristine Young. “The opportunity for our SUNY Orange community to engage with Professor Kendi in these necessary discussions about race, inclusion, public policy, civic engagement, education and more, is both timely and impactful.”

Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at “The Atlantic” and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He is the author of many books, including “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest ever winner of that award.

He also authored three No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, “How to Be an Antiracist;”; “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” and “Antiracist Baby.” His newest books are “Be Antiracist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection, and Action,” and “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America,” which will be out in February.

In 2020,Time magazine named Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

For more information or to register, contact Dr. Willie Williams, chief diversity officer at SUNY Orange, at willie.williams@sunyorange.edu.