Q&A with Featured Presenter Lazarus Lynch in Advance of 16th Annual Social Justice Festival

The Social Justice Festival, a two-day celebration of stories from multiple disciplines that build community, manage conflict, and explore identity hosted by the Anne Frank Project, returns to Buffalo State on September 25 and 26. Aligned with Buffalo State’s Homecoming Week, this year’s festival theme is “Home: Building Our Collective Story.”

“The idea of ‘home’ is fascinating to wrestle with, especially for our students,” said Drew Kahn, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and AFP founding director. “‘Home’ can be defined in so many ways—the ‘homes’ they grew up in and left to attend college, their new ‘home’ of Buffalo State, and their future ‘homes’ post-graduation. These ideas coupled with our ever-changing definition of family and home in the U.S. make for exciting prompts for multiple, diverse sessions.”

There are always new things to look forward to at the festival, Kahn said; the presenters change each year, as do the disciplines explored and departments highlighted. One thing that doesn’t change? Attendees are active participants.

“In addition to our exploration of social justice, we also emphasize an important pillar of Buffalo State: experiential learning,” Kahn said. “We believe that doing is an essential component of relevant, authentic learning. Students should come ready to actively engage in the work, with the full confidence they will be collaborating in a safe, structured, and creative space where their presence matters.”

This year’s featured presenter is Buffalo State alumnus Lazarus Lynch, ’16, a highly successful chef, psychotherapist, social worker, author, and content creator.

“Laz is all about teaching and facilitating spaces where authentic belonging, self-awareness, inclusion, equity, and sense of purpose all come together,” Kahn said. “He is a walking definition of what’s best about Buffalo State.”

We caught up with Lynch as he prepared to travel to Buffalo State for the Social Justice Festival.

What was your involvement with the Anne Frank Project as a student? 

I was on campus for about a week or two my freshman year when I had started to hear about the Anne Frank project and Rwanda, and hearing from students who had gone the previous year. There was a very strong impulse in me that I had to get involved with this program. I remember going into the orientation to learn about Rwanda and hearing that it was a theater opportunity. I was a health, nutrition, and dietetics major. But being who I am, I thought, “There’s got to be a way for me to get to Rwanda with this group, and if it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.” I’ll tell my story of how it all unfolded when I’m on campus, but the short version is I was able to go to Rwanda and do the entire experience. I was the only non-theater major and the only freshman in the cohort. I was determined. I just knew that I had to be there. 

Why were you inspired to participate in the Social Justice Festival this year?

I’m a longstanding heart partner to the Anne Frank Project and its mission: changing lives through storytelling and helping to create a more kind world through telling stories. This year was special; Drew reached out, I was available, and I told him, “I’ve got to come back to Buffalo State. I’ve got to come back and be part of it.” What’s also brought me back is the greater timing in the world. What I have to say and what I have to contribute feels poignant at such a time as this.

How would you describe your work to someone who is unfamiliar with it? 

It’s people-centered, heart-centered, soul-stirring work. In a way it’s indescribable, because it does reach so many people in many different ways, but my mission is for people to connect back to their roots through food, storytelling, and pathways that help improve their mental health. We know that if a person is not nourished, they’re less likely to have good attention skills, and to feel safe and secure. Being able to incorporate my understanding and knowledge as a mental health clinician, chef, content creator, and storyteller—all of those pieces help make the work that I’m doing more impactful to communities, individuals, and families. 

How did your time and experiences at Buffalo State shape your journey and career? 

As a student, I got a job on campus in the Health Promotions Department, educating the campus on health and wellness. I developed a mentor there—Tammy Kresge—and she was willing to sit with me once a week, listen, hold space, and support me in figuring out how I was going to take the love I had for food, storytelling, and media and create something I could offer the world. I remember leaving her office one day after a moving conversation about the relationship I had with my father. I went to take a nap; I remember falling asleep, being slightly drowsy, and hearing in my head: “son of a southern chef.” I ran back to her office, and I said, “I got it. Son of southern chef.” She said, “Oh my god, I have chills.” Son of a Southern Chef later became a cookbook, a world-recognized name, the name of brand partnerships… and it began at Buffalo State. When I first graduated, I was getting a lot of requests to be on television and things, and I didn’t know what I was doing, and I started working with faculty member Debra Park. She helped me to form those early seeds of how to make all of this make sense. I’m forever grateful to both of those women.

What advice would you give students looking to make an impact in their communities? 

One: Figure out what you want to do later and try to do a version of that right now. When I got to campus, I started making cooking videos out of my dorm and putting them on YouTube. I collaborated with students in the film department. It became like a mutual exchange; I fed them and taught them how to cook, and they filmed. Because of those videos, I got the opportunity to come to Los Angeles and create videos for a platform called TasteMade. It was through them seeing that content.

Two: Find mentors, like I found Tammy. Find people you can talk to about your ideas who are going to feed your dream, not take away from it or rob you of the energy, joy, or purity of it.

Three: Trust yourself and follow your instincts. I changed my major three times because I wanted to find a place that felt like home. Ultimately, I became an individualized studies major—I combined everything and figured it out. 

Why should people attend the Social Justice Festival? 

Humanity needs a lot of hope right now. I think people are struggling to feel hopeful, to feel well. When we show up as our whole selves and our best selves, we can really inspire other people to do great and incredible things. If you’re looking for hope, if you’re in search of community and connection, it’s an incredible place to experience that. If you already have community and connection, but you’re wanting to move beyond what you know to do, it’s a great opportunity to learn what you can do to make the world a more socially just place.

The Anne Frank Project’s Social Justice Festival will take place on campus Wednesday, September 25, and Thursday, September 26. For more information and a full schedule of events, please visit the Anne Frank Project website.

Photos by Lazarus Lynch.