“The Zora Neale Hurston Summit is an upscale family reunion where the general public gets to come be a part of Zora’s extended family for a weekend. For the first time in history, we will be able to celebrate the life, legacy, and work of Zora alongside the Hurston Family themselves.”

-Rae Chesny, Director of Programs for the Zora Neale Hurston Trust

Since the settlement of the Zora Neale Hurston Estate in 1978 and the subsequent creation of the Zora Neale Hurston Trust in 2002, we have worked to preserve, promote, and protect Zora’s legacy. For more than 30 years, we have worked with Hurston-inspired organizations across the country to accomplish our mission. This includes partnerships with the Preserve the Eatonville Community Association’s annual Zora! Festival in Eatonville, the Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation in Fort Pierce, FL, contributions to the Hurston/Wright Foundation, and supported numerous projects such as the Descendant documentary on Netflix.

Now we’re entering a phase of continuing her great legacy by taking more active leadership in programming and events that usher in a new era of Zora Neale Hurston followers and practitioners who are influenced by her work. The ZNH Trust’s first phase of this of work is to educate and celebrate. To accomplish our goal, the familial descendants of Zora are planning an inaugural Zora Neale Hurston Summit. The ZNH Summit will be a multidisciplinary event celebrating the arts, humanities, and culture held on the prestigious campus of Barnard College, where Zora was the first Black student to graduate in 1928.