Diversity Summit 2023

The SUNY Geneseo Diversity Summit will take place on February 28, 2023. It is a full day of diversity-focused sessions hosted by members of the College community. There are no classes that day, and the Summit is free to attend.

Visit the Diversity Summit page of the Geneseo Events Calendar for the full list of Summit sessions.  

Diversity Summit Program

Featured Workshop: Is America obsessed with Race? 

Join Emmanuel Kulu, Jr., Diversity Summit Keynote, at this thought-provoking roundtable discussion. We will uncover how "race" has been used to categorize, segregate, and divide groups of People since the very foundation of America.
Bailey Hall 202-203 at 10:00 a.m.

Community Art Project: Cross Stitching Slavic-Style, Cynthia Klima, Dept. of Languages & Cultures

Learn about Slavic arts, peoples, and cultures through art. Embroidery is a type of language with thread. The styles show us from what part of the Slavic world people come and/or are even indicative of the smaller regions or villages where the embroiderers live. Participants will engage in the art of Slavic cross stitch embroidery.
Bailey Hall Lobby, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.


Campus Climate: Learn, Engage, Take Action

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Image of Emmanuel Kulu, Jr. wearing a blue dress shirt and navy suit with a metal watch.  Kulu is seated with his back straight and head facing directly at the viewer.  Kulu looks professional.

Black History & The Origin of Humanity

Keynote Speaker: Emmanuel Kulu, Jr.

2:30-3:45 p.m., College Union Ballroom

Book Signing: I, Black Pharaoh: Rise to Power

3:45-4:15 p.m., Kinetic Art Gallery

Emmanuel Kulu, Jr. is an African Historian/Author of Cameroonian descent (Zulu/Bantu Tribe). As a career Social Worker, Kulu also expresses his deep passion for history, writing, the creative arts and film. 

Kulu began his professional creative career in 2015 with screenwriting & acting for films such as The Rize & Fall of Tephlon Ent, Bug Love and The First Purge.

In more recent years, Kulu turned his focus to his African lineage. After several years of deep study and research of great African kingdoms, Kulu was drawn to Ancient Egypt as the monarch of African Studies & Antiquities. Kulu questioned the validity of prior novel and film depictions of the ancient Egyptians who were, in fact, African people.

As an African Historian, Kulu has traveled (Nationally & Internationally) giving lectures, seminars, and conferences on the miseducation of African history at various high schools, colleges, and universities. Based on his thorough research, Kulu created a historical fiction adventure series based on true events; "I, Black Pharaoh: Rise to Power & "I, Black Pharaoh: Golden Age of Triumph". Both novels restore the true African imagery of Ancient Egypt (Kemet). In 2022, Kulu founded A.A.A.R.I.A (Ancient African Antiquities Research Institute of America), with the mission of creating a Middle & High School curriculum of African studies. 

Keynote Recording

Summit Schedule

The Summit is a full day of sessions hosted by members of our community, concluding with a keynote address to the campus. Sessions may vary in length and format, including presentations, discussions, art activities, performances, and more.

Each session is unique in its topic while centered around this year’s theme. The sessions are created and hosted by students, staff, and other community members looking to share their perspectives and have meaningful conversations. 

To save a session to your Summit agenda, view the session and then click "add to calendar."

Accessibility Statement

If you require accommodations for equal access to this event, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services via email at access@geneseo.edu, or call 585-245-5112 at least one week prior to this event. 

Event Parking

We are grateful to the University Police Department for providing on campus parking for Diversity Summit attendants. There will be no ticketing in campus parking lots with the exception of handicapped parking spaces, load zones, and reserved lots O, LL, W, and G on February 28, 2023 for the duration of Summit events.


What happens after the Diversity Summit?

We will be sharing a google form that gathers feedback on this year’s summit. This allows us to hear ideas related to the focus of next year’s Diversity Summit.

If you're interested in browsing the content of past Diversity Summits, visit the Summit archive.

Any questions can be directed to the Diversity Summit Committee (diversitysummit@geneseo.edu).


The Diversity Summit Planning Committee includes representatives from the Office of Diversity & Equity, the President’s Commission on Diversity and Community, Student Association and Student Senate and members of our campus community.