Celebrate Black History Month: 'Chor Boogie, ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’ Art Exhibition'

Celebrate Black History Month at San Diego Mesa College with an array of events and exhibits!

Thursday, February 11; 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Chor Boogie, ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’ Art Exhibition

Opening reception for the Chor Boogie exhibit, Divided State of America, which runs through March 2 at the San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery (D-101).  Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.  The reception will be followed by a lecture and conversation with the artist in Room G-101.

San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, D-101

Upcoming Black History Month events and exhibits:

Thursday, February 11; 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The Golden Brown Fairy Godmother & Friends

The authors will read from their recently published book, The GUMBO Pot Poems: A Savory Recipe for Life, Community and GUMBO Through Poetry. Poems recognizing Africa, the ancestors as well as heroes and sheroes in the African American community, including President Obama, Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey, will be read. Additionally, a tribute honoring many African American figures in history will be made via a traditional storytelling segment by Alyce Smith Cooper, storyteller extraordinaire. Alliant University is located at 10455 Pomerado Rd. San Diego, CA 92123. The event will take place in Green Hall. To attend, please RSVP to Dr. Julii Green at [email protected]

Alliant International University

Friday, February 12-15; 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

KUUMBA FEST - Black Legacy Festival

The Royal Court w/Mesa Black Studies & BSU, Lyceum Theatre Horton Plaza, Downtown San Diego. Kuumba is a Swahili word meaning “Creativity.” KuumbaFest is a three-day festival which is San Diego’s longest running and premier celebration of African American history, heritage and cultural expression. Throughout the weekend there will be exhibits of African Art, dramatic presentations, educational workshops, a Hip Hop Showcase, an African Marketplace, a Gospel Concert, and community leadership awards. A host of speakers will be part of the event to stimulate positive thought and inspire individuals to success. The Mesa College Black Studies Department and Black Student Union will participate in the Friday evening opening event, The Royal Court, 7-10 pm Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza. Additional dates/times will be Saturday 10:30am-9pm and Sun 3-6pm.For more information please visit the website at www.kuumbafest.com

Tuesday, February 16; 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Dr. Ronald Mallett: The World’s First Time Machine

Dr. Ronald Mallett, an African American theoretical physicist developed an interest in physics after the death of his father when he was 10 years of age. As a child he believed he could find a way to travel back in time to see his father again. At present Dr. Mallett is a physics professor at the University of Connecticut, conducting research based on Einstein’s theory of relativity and using laser light to bend time so as to allow time travel.

Room H-117/118

Wednesday, February 17; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Call of the Drum with Yiriba Bernard Thomas

Yiriba is the lead Drummer with Teye Sa Thiosanne West African Drum & Dance Troupe. The name Teye Sa Thiosanne means “Keepers of the Tradition” and since 1988 this Troupe has kept the traditions of African drumming and dance alive in the San Diego Community. Drumming is a time-honored tradition in Africa and the practice is interwoven into the fabric of the community as a significant means of communication, a respected cultural expression and a highly sought-after means of celebration. Teye Sa Thiosanne provides a full range of performances in African music, drumming and dance. Yiriba will also teach and engage the audience in learning about these life-affirming African traditions. (Fee Courtesy of the Mesa Humanities Institute)

Room H-117/118

Thursday, February 18; 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The Black List, Volume 1

The Black List, Volume 1 premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 and won the NAACP Spirit Award in 2009 for Best Documentary.

Room H-117/118

Friday, February 19; 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The Pedagogy of Black Women Activists

Black Studies Professor Candace Katungi -facilitates discussion about African American women activists. One of the women reviewed will be Sarah Harris Fayerweather. Lecture and discussion will center on how the freedom-centered pedagogy of Black women activists, like Sarah, was received in the antebellum north.

Room LRC-435

Monday, February 22; 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Percy Julian: The Forgotten Genius

This film chronicles the life and genius of Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975) an African American research chemist. One of his goals was to discover a new class of drugs through his research on the chemistry of plants that would help advance human health and wellness. Growing up in the era of Jim Crow in Alabama, he faced many obstacles in the accomplishments of his goals, but persisted to achieve much including foundational work underlying the production of cortisone.

Room H-117/118

Tuesday, February 23; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Open Mic: Black Poets Speak Out

Mesa College students join local poets and storytellers Kendrick Dial, Alyce Smith Cooper, Jaime V. Jones, and others.

Room H-117/118

Wednesday, February 24; 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Hidden Colors, Part 1

Hidden Colors is a documentary which chronicles the history of people of color and their contributions throughout the world. The film’s commentators include historians and scholars who speak about the Moors in Spain, African presence in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus, as well as the reason for exclusion of African achievements from mainstream history books.

Room H-117/118

Wednesday, February 24; 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

VOICES: Black Students share influential figures in Black History

African American students at Mesa College share who their most inspiring figures in Black History, including who in Black history has influenced them the most and why; how they learned about this person, in what ways this person has inspired them scholastically, and if information about this person should be incorporated into college classes, and if so, which classes and how. Facilitated by the Mesa Outreach Office and co-sponsored by the Committee for Diversity Action, Inclusion & Equity (CDAIE).

Room LRC-435

Thursday, February 25; 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Hidden Colors, Part 2

Hidden Colors 2 is a continuation of the documentary which chronicles the history of people of color and their contributions throughout the world. This second film also includes information on the scientific discoveries regarding melanin, disturbing facts about the prison-industrial complex as well as little-known information about Native American people.

Room H-117/118

Friday, February 26; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Student Diversity Club Lunchtime, Social & Table Talks, Committee for Diversity, Action, Inclusion & Equity

The Student Diversity Club Lunchtime Social is sponsored by the Student Diversity Club and presents an opportunity for students throughout the campus to get together to eat, socialize, and participate in table-talks on topics relevant to diversity, inclusion and equity. This activity is co-sponsored by the Committee for Diversity Action, Inclusion & Equity, the Black Studies Department and the Chicano Studies Department. The event will take place in G-103 the Chicano Studies & Black Studies Department shared space. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend!

Room G-103/Osani Circle

Saturday, February 27; 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Saturday on the Mesa: Jumpstart Your Success

Introduction to Black Studies & Assisting Students in Accessing Resources

Black Studies' professors Thekima Mayasa & Candice Katungi provide an introduction to the Program of Black Studies at Mesa College: Counseling Department professor Judy Sundayo works with students to assist them in understanding potential obstacles in starting college, how to manage stress and anxiety as well as Counseling resources and college-wide resources available to help them succeed.

Mesa Gym

Saturday, February 27; 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

San Diego Black Quilters Guild Exhibit

The San Diego Black Quilters Guild is a long-standing community arts association. Although many quilters consider themselves more sewers than artists, their quilts are undeniably extraordinarily beautiful works of art. Further the patterns are fun and inventive and the colors are stunning. Additionally, each quilt has a story to tell and the more you listen, the more difficult it becomes to pull yourself away. Counseling Department professor, Dr. Judy Sundayo will read a poem in the afternoon on Black Quilts.

Malcolm X Library

Monday, February 29; 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Hidden Colors, Part 3

Hidden Colors is the name of a documentary series that looks at the marginalizing of African Americans here and around the world. A discussion follows the screening.

Room H-117/118

Ongoing exhibits:

Through March 2

Chor Boogie: In God We Trust

Artwork from the series “The Divided State of America”

Mesa Art Gallery

Through February 29

San Diego Authors Exhibit �" SD Central Library

Featuring SD published books in 2015 “The Gumbo Pot of Poems”

This is the 50th Year Anniversary of the San Diego Authors Exhibit, held annually to honor local authors who have published a book in the preceding year. This year, San Diego Mesa College boasts a number of authors, whose works are showcased, including Professor Joe Safdie and his book Coastal Zone and Professor Scott Starbuck who authored Industrial Oz. Also showcased in the exhibit is the work by Professor Judy Sundayo, co-author of, The GUMBO Pot Poems: A Savory Recipe for Life, Community & GUMBO through Poetry. This book is a compilation of poems which chronicle African American experiences and celebrate life and community in a multi-cultural society. Included in the book are tributes to Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.

San Diego Central Library

Through March 6

The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years without a Comb

This exhibit at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido -- curated by Starla Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Black History at San Diego Mesa College -- is a journey through the history of the African-American hair industry and its role in our present culture.  From its origins in the seat of civilization to the epicenter of the civil rights movement, the comb’s untold story takes the spotlight in this exhibition by way of 400 years’ worth of artifacts, photography, historical accounts, propaganda, and much more. Visit artcenter.org for more details.

California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, 92025