File photo from a previous year’s Black History Month event.
The San Diego Community College District is celebrating Black History Month with films, Black storytelling, a remembrance of the Tulsa race massacre, and more. In addition, KSDS Jazz 88, which is housed at San Diego City College, will be celebrating Black History Month by shining a light on The Bebop Era with homages to legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Fats Domino.
All events are free and open to the public. Among the highlights:
Friday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Black Film Fridays: “The Black Fatherhood Project.”
Includes a Q&A with filmmaker Jordan Thierry. Sponsored by City College Umoja, HUBU, City Scholars, Diversity Committee, and San Diego State University’s Africana Studies. Here is the Zoom link
Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 11 to 12:30 p.m.
West African Healing Drums
A Mesa College presentation by Master Drummer and founder, Yriba of Teye Sa Thiosanne ‘Keepers of the Tradition’ African Drum and Dance Company, on the power of drumming in building of community and healing the soul with synchronizing rhythms and heart beats of the mind, body, and spirit. Here is the Zoom link. Meeting ID is 752 496 5099
Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 11 a.m. to noon
Black Storytelling – A Virtual Family Affair
Miramar College presents two renowned, local storytellers – Gwen Thompson-Chamberlain and Linda Brown – share stores of the Black family as it relates to resilience, unity, love, and personal experiences. Here is the Zoom link.
Thursday, Feb. 11, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Investigation
A look at the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and its suppressed history. Presented by Phoebe R. Stubblefield, Interim Director and Research Assistant Scientist at the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory. Sponsored by Mesa College. Here is the Zoom link. Meeting ID is 947 3310 9274
Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.
“The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song”
First of two sessions on The Black Church, PBS series chronicling the rich history that is part of the African-American experience. Episodes 1 and 2 (‘The Freedom Faith’ and ‘A Nation With A Nation’) cover the beginnings of the Black Church and how the Christian faith provided a way for the enslaved to cope with brutal and dehumanizing bondage. Sponsored by Mesa College You can access the film through this link.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Agents of Change”
A discussion with Agents of Change producer/director Frank Dawson covering the film telling the untold story of racial conditions on college campuses in the United States in the 1960s. Sponsored by Mesa College. Here is the Zoom link. Meeting ID is 752 496 5099
Friday, Feb. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m.
“Fences”
Screening of this film based on the August Wilson play that is the sixth in the 10-part Pittsburgh Cycle is sponsored by City College Umoja, HUBU, City Scholars, Diversity Committee, and San Diego State University’s Africana Studies. Here is the Zoom link
Saturday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Ask Your Mama: The Langston Hughes Project
The Langston Hughes Project is a multimedia concert performance of Langston Hughes’ kaleidoscopic jazz poem suite “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz.” This is a virtual presentation with Dr. Ron McCurdy, professor of Music at the USC Thornton School of Music, and includes performance and discussion. Here is the Zoom link. Meeting ID 752 496 5099
Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Black Excellence Across the Industries
Organized by City College Job Program Coordinator Sasha Knox, this panel discussion with black industry leaders explores the region’s top hiring sectors. Here is the Zoom link
Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m.
“The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song”
Second of two sessions on The Black Church, PBS series chronicling the rich history that is part of the African-American experience. Episodes 3 and 4 (‘God Will Make A Way’ and ‘Crisis of Faith’) cover the pivotal period of Black churches at the turn of the 20th century and the crossroads Black churches found themselves in after Black leader such as The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Sponsored by Mesa College. You can access the film through this link.
Thursday, Feb. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Eye on Black Studies: Celebrating the Legacy and Continued Mission of Black Studies
A reflection on Black History Month at Mesa College and a discussion about the legacy and mission of Black Studies after 50 years at Mesa College. Here is the Zoom link. Meeting ID 928 4122 7065
Friday, Feb. 26, from 5 to 8 p.m.
King in the Wilderness
This documentary chronicling the final chapters of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life is sponsored by City College Umoja, HUBU, City Scholars, Diversity Committee, and San Diego State University’s Africana Studies. Here is the Zoom link
Black History Month evolved from Negro History Week, the second week of February – which includes the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and was sponsored by what is today known as the Association for the Study of African American Life founded by historian Carter Woodson and minister Jesse Moorland. The first Negro History Week was held in 1926. Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976 and has been designated by every American president since.
As one of the largest of California’s 73 community college districts, the San Diego Community College District serves approximately 100,000 students annually through three two-year colleges and San Diego Continuing Education. The three colleges, San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College, and San Diego Miramar College, offer associate degrees and certificates in occupational programs that prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges and entry-level jobs. Mesa College also offers a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management. Continuing Education offers noncredit adult education at seven campuses throughout San Diego.
