Buffalo State University’s the Anne Frank Project successfully hosted the 16th Annual Social Justice Festival - Home: Building Our Collective Story. More than 1000 participants attended this signature two-day event on September 25 and 26 during Buffalo State’s Homecoming Week: Together we Grow!

With 16 different sessions and 1 art exhibition for our festival audience to be a part of, participants were actively engaged in kinesthetic learning opportunities focused on deconstructing and rebuilding what we call ‘Home.’

Our Donn Youngstrom Featured Presenter for 2024, Lazarus Lynch, opened our festival with a song that participants joined in to sing , “I am Somebody,” followed by a conversational keynote address and workshop the next morning. Mr. Lynch led a series of activities that connected participants to each other and to their inner child. Lazarus share with our festival audience how healing their inner child can help them become the best version of themselves.

AFP had two campus spotlight departments this year, Social Work and Creativity and Change Leadership. Dr. Jessica Fitzpatrick, associate professor from Social Work, and her students provided engaging activities that explored issues participants are passionate about and the different ways they can advocate for them. From Creativity and Change Leadership, Dr. Gerard Puccio and Dr. Jo Yudess partnered participants up with the goal of using their ‘innate creative power’ to untie the rope knots that bide them together.

This year’s festival also had two other featured speakers, award-winning director, writer and actor, Addison Henderson, and Buffalo State alum, author and speaker, Mark Talley. Henderson’s workshop involved participants working together or solo to create short films connecting their voice to the festival theme. Tally shared his story on how the tragic loss of his mother in the Tops terrorist attack on May 14, 2022, transformed his pain into purpose and founded his non-profit, Agents for Advocacy, to fight for social and economic justice, to challenge systems of oppression. Joined with him, Shyana Broughton, Founder of Our Mommie Village, share stories and insights that illustrate the importance of providing support and resources to improve black maternal health.

We look forward to hosting our 17th Annual Social Justice Festival in 2025! Dates to be announced soon.