A celebration of more than 50 years of Africana Studies at Fresno State will feature a visit from California’s Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. One of a number of Black History Month events, this event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Leon S. and Pete P. Peters Educational Center.
“The Africana Studies Program is thrilled to welcome Dr. Shirley Weber for a keynote speech,” said Dr. Meta Schettler, coordinator of Fresno State’s Africana Studies Program. “Before she became California’s first black Secretary of State, Dr. Weber had a creative, productive career at San Diego State, and she also made far-reaching contributions in Sacramento during her four terms in the Assembly sponsoring important legislation to promote racial equality and racial justice in California. We have developed new ethnic studies courses in California at the K-12 and university levels largely because of Dr. Weber’s vision and leadership.”
Contact Dr. Schettler for more information at mschettl@csufresno.edu. Read more about Dr. Weber here.
Fresno State honors the diversity of its student body, faculty and staff during the month of February with various events — both virtual and in-person — celebrating Black History Month.
Here is a listing of other Fresno State campus and community events throughout the monthlong celebration:
Feb. 1: Black History Month kick-off event, presented by the Cross Cultural and Gender Center’s African American Programs and Services, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fresno State Memorial Gardens, includes a Black resources fair, the first 200 attendees can get a limited edition Black History Month T-shirt and food from Chef Paul’s.
Jan. 23-Feb. 16: Thresholds in Parameters exhibition showcases 52 local and international women artists. Among the featured artists is internationally recognized poet, actress, teacher and visual artist Pamela Sneed. The exhibit will run at the Conley Art Gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at the Graduate Studios at M Street (1419 M St. in Downtown Fresno) 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, during Art Hop and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 and 11. Contact: Jamie Boley, jamieboley@mail.fresnostate.edu.
Feb. 2: Africana Studies Black History Month Trivia Quiz, online every Thursday in February. Random drawing each week for a $25 gift certificate to the Kennel Bookstore. Find the quiz and more details on the Africana Studies homepage. Contact: Sherri Smith, sherrismith@mail.fresnostate.edu
Feb. 3-March 3: Black Resistance art exhibition. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The Dean’s Gallery (Old Music Building 186), the exhibit highlights a minuscule sector of African American life experiences in efforts to liberate from historical and ongoing mindless oppressions. Contact: Vanessa Addison-Williams, vaddisonwilliams@csufresno.edu.
Feb. 5: Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts presents Nicole Keller. Sponsored by the Fresno State Department of Music, Keller will perform works for the organ by Buxtehude, Sweelinck, J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, Shearing and Price at 3 p.m. in the Fresno State Concert Hall. Tickets are $25 general, $18 seniors and $5 students. Contact: Peter Klimo, pklimo@csufresno.edu.
Feb. 6: Sankofa Film Festival — Week 1, Africana Studies will present films every Monday of this month. “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” at 6 p.m. , in University Business Center Room 191, Alice Peters Auditorium. Contact: Meta Schettler, mschettl@csufresno.edu.
Feb. 7: Fresno County Office of Education African American Student Leadership Conference, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fresno Convention Center. The conference is intended to address the critical components that surround the many dimensions of leadership for high school students in grades nine through 12.
Feb. 10: Seventh annual Walk in Peace Concert: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month. The concert will be held in the Fresno State Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. and features the Fresno State Choirs in collaboration with the Fresno City College Choirs. Contact: Dr. Cari Earnhart, cearnhart@csufresno.edu.
Feb. 13: Sankofa Film Festival — Week 2, Africana Studies will present films every Monday of this month. “One Night in Miami” at 6 p.m., in University Business Center Room 191, Alice Peters Auditorium. Contact: Meta Schettler, mschettl@csufresno.edu.
Feb. 15: Fresno State African American Initiative Advanced Placement Awareness Day, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., Zoom info forthcoming. This event will share information and spread awareness regarding Advanced Placement programs to Central Valley middle and high school students and parents.
Feb. 17: “The Price of the Ticket,” 7 to 9 p.m. in Conley Art Auditorium, a film screening and discussion on the life of James Baldwin, and the literary legacy surrounding race and queer identity in his America and ours. Contact: Venita Blackburn, blackburn@csufresno.edu.
Feb. 17-19 and 21-25: Contemporary Dance Ensemble’s Dance Concert, featuring Bernard Brown’s “Unquenched Thirst,” a melding of African Diasporic movement and postmodern sensibilities and Robert Moses’ “The Supplicant,” a dance that uses movement as the medium through which race, class, culture and gender are used to voice the existence of our greater potential. Tickets are $17 general; $15 faculty, staff, alumni, seniors, military; $10 students. Contact: Kenneth Balint, kbalint@mail.fresnostate.edu.
Feb. 21: Mardi Gras Amazing Race — Meet Fresno State’s new University Diversity Officer, hosted by the Africana Studies Program, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., join us for an Amazing Race-style activity that starts and ends in the area between the University Center and University Student Union, and get a chance to meet Dr. Rashanda Booker, the first University Diversity Officer at Fresno State. Look for the Africana Studies table. Random drawing of $25 gift certificates to Kennel Bookstore for three teams. Pre-registration is required.
Feb. 23: Sanibonani Open Mic Night, for poets, writers and musicians. Co-sponsored by the Africana Studies Program and the Cross Cultural and Gender Center, 6 p.m. in the Ellipse Gallery on the second floor of the Library. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
Feb. 24: Clovis Unified African American Middle School Student Leadership Conference, 9:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Clovis North Educational Center. Fresno State’s African American Initiative will be tabling for outreach.
Feb. 26: Super Sunday, Fresno State African American Initiative, CSU leaders bring an empowering message to churches throughout California about the importance of preparing for college. Various Fresno State leaders will speak to Valley congregations on this date, either in person or virtually. President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval will represent Fresno State at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church’s service at 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 27: Sankofa Film Festival — Week 3, Africana Studies will present films every Monday of this month. “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” directed by Stanley Nelson, at 6 p.m., in University Business Center Room 191, Alice Peters Auditorium. Contact: Meta Schettler, mschettl@csufresno.edu.
