01/23/2026
Shontay Lundy ’04, the founder of a transformational skincare product line that protects all skin colors, Black Girl Sunscreen, will deliver the keynote address at SUNY Cortland’s fourth annual Abraham Lincoln DeMond 1889 Day on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
The event, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room, marks the official start of SUNY Cortland’s 2026 Black History Month event series. DeMond Day, which honors SUNY Cortland’s first Black alum, is free and open to the public, but an RSVP to attend the event is requested.
A dinner and dessert are included, courtesy of the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association. Event sponsors also include the President’s Office, the Student Government Association and the Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office.
SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum will offer remarks, along with Lorraine Lopez-Janove, the university’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, and an alumni association representative.
Lundy, of Los Angeles, California, was selected as this year’s keynote speaker because her work challenges a widespread misconception that Black individuals do not need sunscreen, according to organizer Elizabeth Christina Baldi, the Student Government Association director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Her work addresses an important public health and skincare gap by promoting sun protection for all skin tones,” said Elizabeth, a senior business economics major from Brooklyn, N.Y. “I chose her because she is a woman of color who has built a successful business through determination and innovation, and she leads her brand with an inclusive mission that uplifts and represents underrecognized communities.
“Her journey as an entrepreneur and advocate makes her an inspiring speaker for this event.”
Raised in Orange County, where majority of her youth was spent in Newburgh, N.Y., Lundy earned a Bachelor’s degree in business economics from SUNY Cortland and an MBA from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, along with more than 10 years of middle- and upper-management experience in the car rental industry.
Lundy founded Black Girl Sunscreen in 2016 to market the first sunscreen developed specifically to protect melanated skin without leaving a white cast. In addition to making sunscreen tailored for men, women and children of color, Lundy and Black Girl Sunscreen has also created an array of SPF lotions, sprays and the first of its kind SPF infused Sungloss™ lip gloss.
“Sunscreen was never marketed to people of color,” Lundy said. “With a lack of research and education, retailers and manufacturers were not providing sunscreen options for us which catered to our skin. A combination of these challenges relayed to where a group of people, an entire demographic, had been left out of a conversation. That’s why I created Black Girl Sunscreen.”
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in November 2026, Black Girl Sunscreen has grown to include 24 employees, including four executives. Its products are sold at over 18,000 retail outlets nationwide, along with specialty retailers across the United States, Canada, Caribbean islands and countries around the world, and are available on the company's website.
Lundy, who has partnered with various university dermatology programs, was awarded the 100 Greatest Innovations of 2018 by Popular Science. She was also listed amongst Forbes’ 2021 The Next 1000.
Lundy has become an activist for Black women and people of color’s skin health in addition to being a well-known influencer, notably through her podcast, “Shamelessly Shontay,” airing Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Real 92.3. Shamelessly Shontay is also available on iHeart Radio, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Lundy has made appearances on talks shows, including “Good Morning America,” “Sherri,” “The Real, and the “Tamron Hall Show.” In 2024, Lundy hosted a segment of the BET Awards for cable network Black Entertainment Television (BET).
Lundy was also honored in 2024 by Cosmetic Executive Women with its Innovation Award, while Black Girl Sunscreen’s Make It Glow SPF 30 continuous spray made Oprah’s “Best Body Sunscreen” in the 2024 First Annual Sun Awards list.
Abraham Lincoln DeMond 1889 Day was initiated in 2023. DeMond graduated just 24 years after the Civil War and became a leader in the national fight against the prejudicial policies and segregation that were enforced across much of the United States.
Born in Seneca, N.Y., he attended the Cortland Normal School — the institution that later became SUNY Cortland. After graduation, DeMond studied theology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, the same church from which Martin Luther King Jr. would one day help launch the civil rights movement.