The 2023 Community Cultural Speaker Series, presented by Uniland, features four dynamic cultural organizations. Join us on Zoom at 7pm each Wednesday beginning on January 11th!
Series Schedule:
- January 11 – Native American Community Services, Pete Hill
- January 18 – African American Cultural Center of Buffalo, Tammy Curry
- January 25 – Stitch Buffalo, Dawne Hoeg
- February 1 – International Institute of Buffalo, Jennifer Rizzo-Choi
Our goal through the Community Cultural Speaker Series is to provide programs about the diverse history and culture of our community and promote a greater understanding of WNY’s diverse communities. We’re working to develop stronger relationships with local organizations to expand our understanding of what makes Buffalo such a unique place to live.
Registration for this series is free thanks to the generous sponsorship support of Uniland Development Company. One registration provides access to all four presentations – you do not need to register for individual presentation dates. The access link for four presentations will be the same and will be in the registration confirmation email. Each presentation will be approximately one hour in length.
Register Now
Community Cultural Speaker Series Presented by:
Uniland Development Company is proud to support Explore Buffalo’s work enabling people to discover Buffalo’s great architecture, history, and neighborhoods. Uniland is Explore Buffalo’s founding corporate sponsor for the Community Cultural Tour Program highlighting the diverse history and culture of WNY’s communities.
Sponsored by a Humanities New York Vision Grant
Series Details:
Presented by Pete Hill, Special Initiatives Director
Welcome & Thanksgiving Address
Presented by Tammy Curry, Director for Educational Directives and the Afterschool Program
Tammy Curry will share the history and mission of the organization as well as agency programs. She will also share insight on the successes of some participants who have been affiliated with the center, upcoming programs, productions, projects & activities.
Presented by Dawne Hoeg, Founder and Executive Director
Stitch Buffalo (501c3) is a textile arts center on Buffalo’s West Side, where people of all backgrounds and skill levels can meet to find supplies, build skills, and purchase handmade items. Stitch Buffalo is best known for their Refugee Women’s Workshop, a thriving community of women artists from Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, Thailand, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, India, Peru, and beyond who sew handcrafted goods for sale. Founder and Executive Director Dawne Hoeg will tell you how Stitch Buffalo began, how it has grown, what lies ahead, and how you can get involved with this vibrant and diverse arts organization.
Presented by Jennifer Rizzo Choi, Executive Director
Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo, will discuss the organization’s role in making Western New York a better place for and because of immigrants and refugees since 1918. She will explore how immigrants and refugees add to the region’s diversity, vibrancy, and economy. Ms. Rizzo-Choi, an immigration attorney, will also elaborate on the distinctions between terms such as “immigrant,” “refugee,” and “asylee” and why they’re essential to understanding to participate in the national debate on immigration.