Black History Month in San Diego County
February is Black History Month. If you don’t naturally associate San Diego with black history, you may be surprised that we share a bit of this heritage, which we celebrate in many, many ways here:
January 31 - February 3 - San Diego Black Film Festival (covered in the linked article).
February 1 - Black History Month Opener, at UCSD Price Center Plaza, featuring inspirational speaker and UCSD Counseling Psychologist, Bill Johnson, and inspirational spoken word artist Rudy Francisco. Step performance by guest fraternity.
February 1 - Hollywood’s Africa at UCSD Geisel Library - This exhibit covers Hollywood’s approach to Africa via movie posters, video images and recent research from AAASRP (African & African-American Studies Research Project).
February 1-3 - Kuumba Fest, a Black History Month celebration of African American arts and creativity, hosts 100 performers for a weekend of workshops and showcase performances. Now in its 15th year, Kuumba Fest attracts more than 3500 people who come together in a celebration of life, learning about cultural heritage and history through: art; poetry; drumming; dance; music; a cultural marketplace; workshops; educational forums; plays; fitness, dance, talent, and speech competitions; all positive hip-hop showcases; and a traditional royal court honoring positive community role-models. The goal of the festival is to educate and empower communities across our city, especially underserved youth from the inner-city. “Kuumba” is a Swahili word for “creativity,” and Kuumba Fest offers opportunities to find positive images, personal expression and community-building through creativity. San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum Theatres in Horton Plaza.
February 1 and 14 - Author James Burns Appearance at UCSD Bookstore - James Burns of the UC San Diego Black Staff Association will feature Super Bowl snacks from his CD Cookbook Compilation titled “The Awesome Cook Book Recipe Collection.
February 2 - Bonfire at Mission Beach, sponsored by Association of Africana Studies Majors and Minors, SDSU
February 4 - The World is My Home - The Life of Paul Robeson, featuring Stogie Kenyatta at Scripps Cottage, SDSU
February 4 - Aishah Simmons at Arts & Letters 201, SDSU
February 5 - “We Shall Overcome!” Celebrate Black History Month by attending this special musical, educational, and historical journey through African and African American music at Cole Library, Cole Community Room.
February 5 - Off-Campus Lecture with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, The Hip Hop Intellectual at Southwestern College
February 6 - Seth Mallios, chairman of the San Diego State University anthropology department, will discuss the archaeological dig at the Nate Harrison site on Palomar Mountain. Harrison was a former slave who was San Diego County’s first permanent black resident. This takes place at Valley Center Branch Library.
February 6 - Department of Africana Studies Lecturer Series at SDSU
February 6 - Night of Dramedy at SDSU Presidential Suite
February 7 - “Historical Context” at Malcolm X Library, SDSU
February 8 - Black History Month Celebration - John and Alice Coltrane Tribute Concert at WorldBeat Cultural Center, Balboa Park
February 8 - Coffee Hour at SDSU Cross-Cultural Center, sponsored by Association of Africana Studies Majors and Minors, SDSU
February 9 - “Their Eyes Were Watching God” at SDSU
February 9 - Gospel Fest at SDSU Montezuma Hall
February 10 - Last King of Scotland at UCSD Geisel Library - AAASRP (the African and African-American Studies Research Project) and the UCSD Arts Libraries present a special free screening of The Last King of Scotland with comments from Dr. Ricardo Guthrie (UC Santa Barbara).
February 10 - CSUSM Black Student Union (BSU) hosts its Sweetheart Dance at the Clarke Field House.
February 10 - Stories from the Heart - A Black History Month Celebration at Mission Branch Library, Oceanside. Linda Brown, a professional storyteller and founding member & Vice President of the Black Storytellers of San Diego, will present her stories of African-American family, culture and heritage. Free, for all ages.
February 10 and February 17 - Harlem of the West Tour in downtown San Diego, where you’ll see Nat King Cole’s favorite hangout, the place where Billie Holiday sang the blues, as well as many African American historic sites and exhibits.
February 11 - Open Mic Night at Casa Real, SDSU
February 12 - The African American Faculty and Staff Association (AAFSA) hosts a discussion on African American Health Issues in the CSUSM Commons Building, Room 206.
February 12 - “Money Management” at SDSU Cross-Cultural Center
February 13 - Black History Luncheon: The Dimensions of Blackness: The Essence of Music, Dance and Culture at UCSD Revelle College - Come and experience the celebration of culture through dance, music and cuisine. The event will be host to performances by LaDiego Dance Theater (Contemporary Ballet Company), Pho Bangers (Contemporary Breakdance) and the Mt. Erie Baptist Church Praise Team.
February 13 - Author Trisha Thomas Appearance at UCSD Bookstore - Best Selling Author Trisha R. Thomas will be signing and discussing her latest novel Nappily Faithful. Trisha R. Thomas is the author of the bestselling Nappily Ever After, a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction and a Gold Pen Awards nominee for Best Author and Best Mainstream Fiction.
February 13 - “Baadasssss Cinema: A Bold Look at 70’s Blaxploitation Films” at UCSD Cross Cultural Center, a FREE screening of this acclaimed documentary. There will be a drawing for the book “Women of Blaxploitation: How the Black Action Film Heroine Changed American Popular Culture.”
February 13 - CSUSM BSU hosts fashion show at Clarke Field House.
February 13 - “The Modification of the Black Male Image” at SDSU Cross-Cultural Center
February 13 and/or 28 (Both dates appear on UCSD sites) - Global Gourmet: Africa at UCSD International House Great Hall - At 4 pm, join other students and lead chefs in cooking! Or at 7 pm, taste what they’ve prepared. To complement the meal, a program on African culture will also be presented by an International House resident.
February 14 - The 2008 Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Diversity Awards program in the Price Center Ballroom will recognize faculty, staff, students, departments or organizational units that have made an outstanding contribution at UCSD in the past year.
February 14 - 15th Annual Fair Housing Laws & Litigation Conference at the Lyceum Space in Horton Plaza, Grand Lobby. Performances by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir San Diego, Common Ground Theatre, and Voices for Housing Civil Rights.
February 14 - “Identity Formation” at Malcolm X Library, SDSU
February 15 - Gender Issues in Hollywood’s Africa, a colloquium by MaryEllen Higgins, an associate professor of English at UCSD Penn State University, in the Social Science Building, 101. AAASRP sponsors.
February 15 - “Black Market” will be the topic of the “Dinner Dialogues” presented by the Cross-Cultural Center and Educational Equity & Diversity in the CSUSM Dome.
February 15 - “Tuskegee Airmen” film showing in the CSUSM UVA classroom.
February 15 - Hotlink Sales, near Free Speech Steps at SDSU
February 15 - Coffee Hour at SDSU Cross-Cultural Center
February 15 - NPHC Yard Show at SDSU Montezuma Hall
February 17 - “Rosa Parks” film showing in the CSUSM UVA classroom.
February 18 - WorldBeat’s Tribute to the Reggae Legends at San Diego Sports Arena, featuring Alpha Blondy, Sly & Robbie, Capleton, Queen Ifrica, Barrington Levy, Gregory Isaacs, Midnite, Gentleman, Martin Campbell, Don Carlos, Cultura Profetica & Tribal Seeds
February 18 - Sunday Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.
February 19 - Movie Night: “Talk To Me” at SDSU
February 20 - Creative Expressions: Bomani Drummers, traditional West African drumming, will be presented at the UCSD Price Center Plaza. Thurgood Marshall College sponsors.
February 20 - “Black History Month Celebration” presented by Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) with Damaru on the CSUSM Library Plaza during University Hour.
February 20 - “The N Word” documentary film showing in the CSUSM UVA classroom.
February 21 - Gene Perry, will conduct an Afro-Caribbean Percussion Workshop in the UCSD Social Science Building, 101. Perry has been bringing Afro-Caribbean music, Latin jazz, and salsa to San Diego and Southern California for 35 years. AAASRP sponsors.
February 21 - “Just Black? Multi Racial Identities” documentary film showing and discussion in the CSUSM UVA classroom.
February 21 - “Harlem of the West,” a history of San Diego jazz pioneers featuring live classic music from the golden age of jazz, at Valley Center Branch Library.
February 21 - “The Arts” at Malcolm X Library, SDSU
February 22 - An Evening with the Stars - UCSD alumni of color will tell their stories and network with current students. The event is sponsored by the UJIMA Network, an alliance of black staff, faculty, students, alumni, and community members, and the UCSD Alumni Association.
February 22 - “Women, AIDS and Poverty in Uganda” event featuring food, presentation and discussion as well as African jewelry sale in the CSUSM UVA classroom to support BreadforLife, a program to eradicate extreme poverty and help its members who are women with HIV/AIDS and refugees from the war in Northern Uganda.
February 22 - Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant at SDSU Montezuma Hall
February 23 - Heritage Day Festival and Parade in San Diego - The Heritage Day Festival and Parade is a “grassroots” community affair that takes place annually during Heritage Month.
February 23 - 6th Annual BHM Celebration and Scholarship Brunch at UCSD Faculty Club - UCSD Celebrates the Journey and Stories of African Americans with a featured speaker (to be announced). This festive celebration also includes performances from local choirs, a tasty soul food brunch and a silent auction that will benefit undergraduate scholarships at UCSD.
February 23 - Soul food luncheon presented by AAFSA at the CSUSM Clarke Field House.
February 25 - Black Cowboy Films Screening at UCSD Geisel Library
February 26 - “The Lost Boys of Sudan” film showing followed by discussion with two Sudanese refugees at the Thomas Jefferson Law School in downtown San Diego (departing from CSUSM UVA).
February 26 - Black Engineers General Body Meeting at SDSU Engineering 423
February 27 - Let It Flow - Soulful Night at Sixth College in the UCSD Sixth College Lodge. It will include an evening of poetry, hip hop dancing, art displays and traditional soul food.
February 27 - “Pursuit of Happyness” film showing at the CSUSM Clark Field House.
February 27 - “Our Number” Program at Aztec Athletics, SDSU
February 27 - “Under One Roof” Multicultural Talent Showcase, at SDSU Montezuma Hall
February 28 - Authors Frederick Smith, Right Side of the Wrong Bed, and Fiona Zedde, Every Dark Desire, will discuss their latest books on Black and LGBT literature at the UCSD Cross-Cultural Center.
February 28 - “Soul Food & Spoken Word” event in the UVA classroom.
February 28 - Documentary filmmaker Richard Rivera will explain how he created “Slave Ship” for the Discovery Channel, at Valley Center Branch Library.
February 28 - “Movement of the Renaissance Era” at Malcolm X Library, SDSU
February 28 - SAAS (Student African American Sisterhood) Signature Program at SDSU Montezuma Hall
February 29 - Program honoring the late Floyd Gaffney, professor emeritus of Theatre in the UCSD Department of Theatre and Dance. Performances in theatre, dance, and music will honor his accomplishments, at UCSD Weiss Forum Theatre.
February ?? - Julian Black History Month Festival starting with a Southern Breakfast, followed by music, speeches, history, a Southern Lunch, the Soul of Julian Tour, and more fun.
Every Saturday and Sunday - Soul of Julian Tour where you’ll see the historic Robinson Hotel as it stands today. See where Frederick Coleman struck gold. Learn about Americas Newton and other historical black figures by taking the Soul of Julian Tour.
March 1 - “Under One Roof” Honoring a Katrina Family at the Cox Arena
I acknowledge that there are more Black History Month events going on all around the county, and invite you to write them in the comment area, or send them to me for inclusion here. I’ll be happy to add more as I come across them as well.
Tags: african american, africana, black, HistoryRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Entertainment, Events, History, Recreation
4 opinions for Black History Month in San Diego County
Movies and Film Blog » Black History Month in San Diego County
Jan 30, 2008 at 6:19 pm
[…] The San Diego Beat placed an observative post today on Black History Month in San Diego CountyHere’s a quick excerpt […]
Black History Month in San Diego County · Scholarships
Jan 30, 2008 at 6:40 pm
[…] Original post by The San Diego Beat […]
Go San Diego Travel Blog Blog Archive » Black History Month in San Diego
Feb 1, 2008 at 8:14 am
[…] The San Diego Beat has an even more comprehensive list of Black History Month events in San Diego. […]
Snowed In » Blog Archive » February is Black History Month
Feb 3, 2008 at 5:26 pm
[…] Find out what’s happening in your community. I already stupidly missed the entire San Diego Black Film Festival. Here’s a list of events for San Diego. […]
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