Janie Speaks: Hurston Across the Diaspora Scholarly Talk

A scholarly talk examines Zora Neale Hurston’s enduring influence across the African diaspora.

Janie Speaks: Hurston Across the Diaspora Scholarly Talk by Dr. Donette Francis takes place Wednesday, February 25 at Miami Dade College’s North Campus Library. The program is part of the College’s Black History Month events commemorating 100 years of the national observance.

Presented by Dr. Donette Francis of the University of Miami, the lecture explores Hurston’s wide-ranging cultural, anthropological and literary contributions. Drawing from her fieldwork in Eatonville, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as her involvement in the Harlem Renaissance, the talk highlights how Hurston immersed herself in the communities she documented—listening closely to stories, traditions and everyday life.

The presentation offers insight into Hurston’s distinctive fusion of narrative craft and ethnography, and considers how her work continues to shape contemporary conversations about culture, identity and community across the African diaspora.