Lewis-Ezekoye

The Lewis-Ezekoye Distinguished Lectureship Series in Africana Studies is an annual lecture with a focus on interdisciplinary subjects that are at the heart of African diasporic and African scholarship, artistic creation, community-centered commitments, and social engagement. This lectureship series is named for the sustained, collaborative friendship formed by two Barnard alumnae—Denise Lewis (Class of ’66) and Adaeze Otue Ezekoye (Class of ’66).

The series takes its place among a handful of distinguished lectureship series in Africana Studies around the country thanks to an endowment by Ms. Denise Lewis '66. This series honors what she has described as transformative experiences at Barnard and the enduring and unexpected gift of friendship that began when she and Ms. Adaeze Otue Ezekoye met at Barnard College as first-year students.

The series reflects the spirit of this gift with lectures and related events by innovative and inspiring scholars, artists, activists, and visionary thinkers who address key issues in African Diaspora Studies. Past speakers include Ntozake Shange (Class of ’70), Jaki Shelton Green , Alexis Gumbs, Ruha Benjamin, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Nnedi Okorafor, Marilyn Nance, Oluremu Onabanjo, and Edwidge Danticat

This annual lecture is open to the public, and it draws attendees from Barnard College, Columbia University, various communities throughout New York City, and especially our surrounding neighborhoods. We welcome visitors from near and far!

The 2025 Lewis-Ezekoye Distinguished Lectureship Series

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Edwidge Danticat is the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University. She received her B.A. in French Literature from Barnard College and her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Brown University. She is the author of eighteen books, including, most recently, the essay collection We're Alone. She is a 2009 MacArthur Fellow, a 2018 Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow, and a two-time National Book Critics Circle Prize winner. Her next book, Watch Out For Falling Iguanas, is forthcoming from Akashic Books in the summer of 2025.