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On Wednesday, Apr. 19 at 7 pm in the Madonna Della Strada Chapel, The �Թ�����, join scholar and composer Tony Alonso for a theological and musical reflection on how Hispanic/Latinx theology shapes his own compositional craft through the prism of Caminemos con Jesús, his Latin Grammy-nominated album of sacred music that celebrates the beauty, passion, and vitality of Cuban music. Reflecting on the particularities of the theological, musical, stylistic, formal, and textual commitments that shaped the project, he will invite a deeper discernment of the relationship between theology, culture, and the arts in a range of pastoral contexts, with a particular focus on ministry in Hispanic/Latinx communities.This program will include bilingual live musical offerings. Free and open to the public. Register at: 

View the Caminemos con Jesús: Incarnating Hispanic/Latinx Theology in Song Event Page

The "Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story" project spring events will continue with a pair of bus tours to explore multi-faith places of worship in Scranton. Each tour, one on May 7 and one on May 13, will visit six Scranton places of worship of varying Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faith traditions, and will focus on the history and cultural aspects of the congregation as well as special architectural details. These tours are led by the Lackawanna Historical Society in collaboration with the Scranton Area Ministerium. Use the link below to register for each tour. 

Visit the Places of Worship Bus Tour Event Page

On Wednesday, Mar. 8 at 7 pm in the Rose Room, Brennan Hall 509 at The �Թ�����, there was a Humanities event featuring Dr. Julius Fleming. Dr. Fleming, who reflected on the themes and topics raised in his recent book, Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation. After his opening remarks, Dr. Fleming engaged in conversation about the local and national relevance with Glynis Johns, CEO and Founder of the Black Scranton Project and Dr. Melissa Anyiwo, Associate Professor of History at The �Թ�����, followed by Q&A with the audience.

Visit the Black Patience & Emancipation: A Conversation Event Page

In Februrary 2023, the Black Scranton Project in collaboration with WVIA and the Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story project offered a Black History Film Series. This film series highlighted key people and topics related to Black history nationally and with local Scranton salience. The films explored the visions of freedom offered by the life of Harriet Tubman (Feb. 5) ; the journey of the formerly enslaved Frederick Douglass (Feb. 19); and how northern cities promulgated racial housing policies that continue to reverberate today (Feb. 26). Events included a 1-hour film screening followed by a 30-minute Q&A with discussants drawn from the co-sponsoring organizations.  

Visit the Black History PBS Film Series Event Page

Film Series Dates & Information:

• Feb. 5, 3-4:30 pm, Black History PBS Film Series, “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom,” Black Scranton Project Center for Arts & Culture. 
• Feb. 19, 3-4:30 pm, Black History PBS Film Series, “Becoming Frederick Douglass,” Black Scranton Project Center for Arts & Culture. 
• Feb. 26, 3-4:30 pm, Black History PBS Film Series, “Jim Crow of the North,” Moskowitz Theater, The �Թ�����. 

On Thursday, February 9 from 6-7 p.m. in the Moskowitz Theater at The �Թ����� there will be a  Humanities Lecture & Discussion featuring Glynis Johns, CEO and Founder of the Black Scranton Project, on “Black History and Housing in Scranton." Ms. Glynis Johns, CEO and Founder of the Black Scranton Project, a local history and heritage initiative, will discuss the Black history of Adams Avenue in the downtown Scranton area where a predominantly African American neighborhood existed prior to redevelopment in the 1970’s. This CBL Talk will explore themes around Blackness, housing, racial discrimination, and affordability that remain relevant today.

Visit "Black History and Housing in Scranton" Event Page

On Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 5:30 – 7 pm in The Kane Forum, Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Hall, The �Թ����� there was a Roundtable Discussion with local resource speakers to highlight myriad ways in which people have come to be members of the Scranton community and “citizens” of the larger United States and will include sharing from those who trace their ancestry to the European immigration of the industrial era to more recent migration from across Latin America and global refugee resettlement. Participants had an opportunity to engage in discussion and conversations around commonalities as well as differences. This event was offered in collaboration with the Schemel Forum.  

View The Journey from "Immigrant" to Citizen Roundtable Event Page

Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming" a keynote talk with Curtis Zunigha, 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 & working in Lenapehoking, the Lenape ancestral homeland, Zunigha shared his experience and mission to heal the wounds of forced removal & colonization and his desire is to restore the circle of friendship, respect, and shared occupancy. This event will took place in The DeNaples Center Ballroom at The �Թ����� on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. 

View the Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming Event Page 

On Tuesday, Oct. 25 there was an Interactive Story Exchange event followed by Writiers Panel - "All the Places We Come From: Food, Stories, and Community" - in Shopland Hall at The Scranton Cultural Center with doors opening at 5:30 pm and event from 6-7:30 p.m. This event was an evening of story-sharing around the theme of migration featuring nationally acclaimed writers Anna Badhken, Angie Cruz, Joseph O’Neill, and Chinelo Okparanta. The event will began with appetizers and sweets from Scranton's multi-ethnic restaurants, and a story-exchange facilitated by the artist-driven international empathy building organization, .

View Interactive Story Exchange with Writers Panel Event Page

On Saturday, Oct. 15 there was a walking tour of Scranton Lace - “Weaving the Past into the Future: Scranton Lace Tour.” This event took place from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Scranton Laceworks Village, 1315 Meylert Ave. Scranton, PA. This walking tour of the Laceworks Village site was in collaboration with the Center for the Living City and considered its historical use by the Scranton Lace Company and its transformation currently into a mixed-use pedestrian Village. Resource speakers for the tour included: Steve Friedman, �Թ����� History alumnus; Maria MacDonald, Executive Director of the Center for the Living City; and Donald Rinaldi, Builder & Developer, BEDA Construction. 

View the Scranton Laceworks Village Walking Tour Page

On Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 7 p.m. at The Ritz Theater & Performing Arts Center there was a film screening of “A Shop on Every Corner: Memories of the Garment Industry,” which highlighted the garment industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with a focus on women, labor movements, and the dignity of work, followed by a discussion with Maureen McGuigan, film producer, and Dr. Ken Wolensky, historian and author of Fighting for the Union Label: The Women's Garment Industry and the ILGWU in Pennsylvania.  

View the A Shop on Every Corner Film Screening and Discussion Event Page

On Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 5:30 pm in the Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton, PA, there was a Humanities Keynote Lecture by Dr. Robert Wolensky, sociologist and anthracite historian, on the 1902 labor strike in Scranton, PA followed by remarks from respondent panelists and a moderated conversation with Q&A. Dr. Wolensky provided insights into the history of labor and industry of the region by highlighting factors that led to the 1902 strike, resulting labor laws, and the experiences of marginalized groups within the labor movement. Respondent Dr. Melissa Meade will discussed how the complexities surrounding the 1902 strike can provide insights into the present and future of labor and the economy for Scranton and the nation.   

View The 1902 Anthracite Strike: Causes and Consequences Event Page

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 5 pm in the Henkelman Room in the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton, PA, there was a Humanities Lecture and Discussion with scholar Samantha Seeley, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of History at the �Թ����� of Richmond and author. Her book, Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Migration and the Making of the Early United States, highlights early efforts at U.S. nation building and the use of migration to construct a white republic. Situating the struggles of Native and Black Americans into the larger story of the early U.S, Seeley argues for a more inclusive way to tell the story of forced removal and its implications on early U.S. statehood. 

View Removal and the Right to Remain Event Page

On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 5 pm in the PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center 133, The �Թ�����, there was a Humanities Lecture and Discussion with scholar Nicole Eustace, PhD, a Professor of History at NYU. Dr. Eustace is a prolific author and her talk ““Murder and Mercy”: A Colonial Encounter in the Susquehanna Valley” highlighting the central themes of her latest book, Covered with Night, which explores competing interpretations of justice and morality on the Pennsylvania frontier. She demonstrates the complex layers and textures of everyday life as colonists encountered Native peoples in eastern Pennsylvania. Covered with Night was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award and won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in History. 

View Murder and Mercy Event Page

Community Dialogue on “Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?" in The Kane Forum, Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Hall, The �Թ�����. 
�Թ����� and Community members joined for this dialogue event that involved facilitated small-group structured dialogues allowing participants to reflect on freedom and the founding and our role as citizens in a democracy. Participants had a chance to consider brief excerpts from founding related readings, share their own experience and perspectives on issues that relate to freedom and equality today, listen to others’ views and engage in conversation. 

This event is a collaboration of The �Թ����� with the Black Scranton Project, Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, The Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton Public Library, The Greater Scranton MLK Commission, Scranton Area Ministerium, and WVIA with the support of additional project partner organizations.   

View the Dialogue Event Page

On Tuesday, Mar. 1 at 5 pm a Humanities Lecture on "Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?" with audience Q&A was held featuring scholars Annelien de Dijn, author, Freedom: An Unruly History, and Aziz Rana, author, The Two Faces of American Freedom. This lecture focused on the evolution of the concept of freedom, how it has been understood and interpreted by the founders of our nation, and what this means for our democracy as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary.  

This event is a collaboration of The �Թ����� with the Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, The Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton Public Library, Greater Scranton MLK Commission, Scranton Area Ministerium, and WVIA with the support of additional project partner organizations.

View Freedom Lecture Event Page  

On Thursday, Feb. 3 from 5 - 6:15 pm in the Henkelman Room at the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton, PA and via Zoom, a Book Discussion on excerpts of “Freedom: An Unruly History” by Annelien de Dijn was led by Dr. Matt Meyer, The �Թ�����, Professor of Philosophy. 

The discussion group involved excerpted readings of the book, "Freedom: An Unruly History," by scholar Annelien de Dijn. The discussion explored the American founding’s idea of freedom and how freedom intersects with issues of equality, liberty and citizenship in ways that are relevant for us today – from matters of race relations, immigration, and women’s rights to health care, Covid-19, and more.

This event is a collaboration of The �Թ����� and the Scranton Public Library, with the support of additional project partner organizations.  

View the Book Discussion Event Page

On Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 from 5 - 6:30 p.m. in the PNC Board Room, Brennan Hall, at The �Թ�����, a special Roundtable Discussion, "Scranton & the Nation: Who Are We and Who Do We Aspire to Be?" was held. This roundtable event featured opening presentations by resource speakers followed by a group discussion considering the role of our city in the nation’s progress, or as urbanist Jane Jacobs wrote: “what Scranton is, has been, and can be.” as we look ahead to the 250^th anniversary of the United States. Participants reflected on excerpts from Glenna Lang’s book Jane Jacobs’ First City and Our America: Who are We? edited by Sondra Myers.

Resource Speakers for this event included: Alejandra Marroquin, Immigrant Inclusion Committee co-chair, Maureen McGuigan, Deputy Director of Arts & Culture for Lackawanna County, and Larry West, City of Scranton Business Administrator, with co-moderators Julie Schumacher Cohen and Sondra Myers, both of The �Թ�����. 

This event is a collaboration of The �Թ�����'s Schemel Forum and Office of Community and Government Relations with the support of the Scranton Immigrant Inclusion Committee, Lackawanna County Department of Arts & Culture, the City of Scranton and additional project partner organizations including WVIA.

View the Roundtable Event Page

On Saturday, Oct. 23 a Jane Jacobs Walk was held as a part of the first "Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story" project theme, "Portrait of Scranton, Portrait of a Nation." This tour encompassed different parts of downtown Scranton, observing architecture, streetscape, and city life with a focus on Lackawanna Avenue and drawing on themes in the recently published Jane Jacobs’s First City by Glenna Lang to consider questions around Scranton’s history, development, place and identity. The walk will began at AFA Gallery- 101 Penn Ave, Scranton, PA and was lead by Wayne Evans, Broker/Owner Wayne Evans Realty and former Mayor of Scranton. 

This event is a collaboration of The �Թ����� and the Center for the Living City, with the support of the Scranton Fringe Festival and additional project partner organizations.  

View Jane Jacobs Walk Event Page

On Tuesday, Oct. 19 "Scranton in the Popular Imagination," the inaugural event for the "Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story Project." was held at 7 pm at the Scranton Cultural Center at 420 N. Washington Avenue in downtown Scranton, PA. This event featured a keynote by Jay Parini, Scranton-born prolific author and D. E. Axinn Professor of English and Creative Writing, Middlebury College, and panel discussion with humanities faculty and community organization leaders from Northeastern Pennsylvania that explored the forces that contributed to the celebrity of Scranton as “The All American City,” and considered how and if Scranton in the popular and national imagination reflects the Scranton of today. Respondent panelists included: Glynis Johns, Founder & CEO, Black Scranton Project; Joseph Kraus, Ph.D. Professor & Department Chair English and Theatre, The �Թ�����; and Maria MacDonald, Executive Director, Center for the Living City with moderator Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., Theatre Program Director and Associate Professor in the Ddepartment of English and Theatre, The �Թ�����. This event was a part of this project's first theme,"Portrait of Scranton, Portrait of a Nation."

This event is a collaboration of The �Թ����� of Scranton with Black Scranton Project, Center for the Living City, Lackawanna County Department of Arts &. Culture, Lackawanna Historical Society, and WVIA with the support of additional project partner organizations. 

View the Scranton in the Popular Imagination Event Page