Rancho Cucamonga, CA — With pounding drums, stomping feet and the images of Black leaders on display, Chaffey College kicked off Black History Month at its Rancho Cucamonga campus on Feb. 10.
Flags and balloons in red, black and green swayed in the afternoon breeze as students gathered for the event, called “Black History Month: A Walk Through History.”
“It’s my favorite month of the year,” said Isatu N’Diaye, a Chaffey alumna and business economics student at University of California, Riverside. “It gives me a chance to look back, educate myself and educate others.”
N’Diaye is a manager for African Soul International, which performed for the event.
Chaffey displayed an aisle of posters featuring the images of Black leaders from Maya Angelou to former President Barack Obama. Students also read in the first person short biographies of several leaders, to illustrate that anyone can possess the power of leadership.
For the campus community, the display provided an opportunity to reflect on leaders who inspire them, and to learn something new.
Nursing major Sheldon Blackwell said it was good to see the large crowd of students, faculty and staff in the quad. Blackwell considers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Black leader who has inspires him the most because of his courage to take on racial injustice, a battle he said may never see an end.
“It starts with our leadership,” he said.
Poet Katrina “Khatt” Taylor read with passion and rhythm a poem about the struggles of racial profiling and police brutality, but also the happiness of Black joy in a child’s giggle.
“It’s important for us to understand Black Joy as we enter into the next era of our history,” she said.
Donald Essex, a counseling faculty member for Chaffey’s Disability Programs and Services, said the Black leader who resonates with him most is not someone from history, but a person closer to home: Chaffey College Superintendent/President Henry D. Shannon.
“He is one of the few African American community college presidents,” Essex said. “I appreciate his struggle from where he’s been, to who he is now.”
Chaffey College will host several events in celebration of Black History Month including:
“Black Excellence Panel” discussion – Wednesday Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. – Zoom
“Thursday Flix” screening of “King Richard” – Thursday Feb. 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. – Student Life
Hip Hop Studies Summit – An annual conference bringing together students, faculty and researchers to promote social justice and to celebrate Black and Latino culture through hip hop – Feb. 26-28.
About African Soul International:
ASI was established in 1998, by Sista Jewel, now Dr. Jewel, an artist who wanted to make a difference in her community. Through presentations, workshops, residencies, and performances, we have touched over 100,000 lives, empowering, educating and bringing the joy of African culture, history and music.
