Keynote Speaking
Yao Kahlil Newkirk delivers keynote lectures and lecture-performances that explore embodiment, memory, performance, education, leadership, and Black cultural history. Rooted in EMBODY Praxis™, his keynote experiences invite audiences to engage embodiment as a site of inquiry, reflection, and transformation. Drawing from original scholarship, artistic practice, and lived experience, his presentations challenge audiences to engage critically with the stories we carry, the histories that shape us, and the possibilities they create for personal and collective change.
Available Formats: Keynote Lectures, Lecture-Performances, Conference Presentations, Campus Programs, Community Engagement Events, Multi-Day Residencies, Customized Institutional Experiences
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Signature Keynote
Separation Anxiety
The Hoodie as Witness, The Body as Archive
What happens when an article of clothing becomes a living archive?
Inspired by Separation Anxiety, a year-long durational performance in honor of Trayvon Martin and every victim of lynching, this keynote explores how memory, identity, trauma, resilience, and cultural history are carried within the body. The keynote also serves as an introduction to EMBODY Praxis™, an embodied framework developed through the performance and its ongoing application in educational, artistic, and community-centered spaces. Through storytelling, performance, reflection, and embodied engagement, audiences are invited to consider how the experiences we carry shape the ways we learn, lead, connect, and imagine new possibilities for ourselves and our communities.
Ideal Audiences:
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Colleges & Universities
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Student Leadership Programs
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Arts & Cultural Organizations
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Diversity & Belonging Initiatives
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Leadership Conferences
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Community Organizations
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Faith Communities
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Educational Keynote
Teaching in the Flesh
Embodied Learning and the Practice of Presence
Drawing from the EMBODY Praxis™, this keynote challenges educators, leaders, and facilitators to rethink learning as an embodied process rather than a purely intellectual one. Through performance, reflection, and practical examples, participants explore how presence, lived experience, and embodied engagement can deepen learning, strengthen connection, and create more meaningful educational environments.
Ideal Audiences:
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Faculty Development Programs
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K–12 Educators
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Higher Education Professionals
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Teaching & Learning Conferences
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Student Affairs Professionals
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Arts Educators
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Historical Keynote
Uncovering Peyton Harris
Memory, Leadership, and the Legacy of a Buffalo Pioneer
Through archival research, family history, and historical storytelling, Dr. Newkirk traces the remarkable life of his ancestor Peyton Harris—a formerly enslaved man who became a respected businessman, landowner, civic leader, and advocate in nineteenth-century Buffalo, New York. This keynote explores the power of historical recovery, community leadership, and the enduring impact of individuals whose contributions helped shape future generations.
Ideal Audiences:
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Museums
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Libraries
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Historical Societies
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Cultural Institutions
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Public Humanities Programs
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Black History Organizations
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Civic & Community Organizations
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Educational Institutions