Fresno State is celebrating over five decades of Black studies for this year’s Black History Month.

This celebration of diversity honors the student body, faculty and staff by hosting a series of on-campus, virtual and community events. 

The remainder of events for the rest of the month are as follows:

On-campus events

A screening of “The Price of the Ticket,” was originally scheduled for Feb. 17. As of now, the date and location of the screening is to be announced. 

The film will be followed by a discussion of race, queer identity and the life and works of James Baldwin. For more information, contact Venita Blackburn via email [email protected].

From Feb. 17-19 and 21-25, Contemporary Dance Ensemble’s dance concert will be held at University Theatre. Students directed by Kenneth Balint will showcase Bernard Brown’s “Unquenched Thirst” and Robert Moses’ “The Supplicant.” 

Both dances are symbolic of the African diasporic movement and use dance as a representative medium of movement through race, class, culture and gender. 

Tickets are $17 for general admission; $15 for faculty, staff, alumni, seniors and military and $10 for students. For more information, contact the director at [email protected]. 

On Feb. 21, Mardi Gras Amazing Race, an “Amazing Race”-style event hosted by the Africana Studies Program will start and end between the University Center and University Student Union from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The race will allow students to introduce themselves to Rashanda Booker, the first university diversity officer at Fresno State. 

Pre-registration is required to participate. A drawing of $25 gift certificates to the Kennel Bookstore will be awarded to three teams. 

On Feb. 23, co-sponsors Africana Studies Program and the Cross Cultural and Gender Center will welcome poets, writers and musicians to Sanibonani Open Mic Night. 

The event will be held in the Ellipse Gallery located on the second floor of the Fresno State Library at 6 p.m. Although not required, pre-registration is encouraged to participate.

On Feb. 27, Africana Studies will screen the third week of its Sankofa Film Festival. It will be showcasing “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” directed by Stanley Nelson. 

This will be the last screening and will take place at 6 p.m. in the University Business Center Room 191 located in the Alice Peters Auditorium. For more information, contact Meta Schettler via email at [email protected]. 

Virtual events

On Wednesday, Feb. 15, a Zoom event will be held to celebrate Fresno State African American Initiative Advanced Placement Awareness Day from 6:30-7:45 p.m. to inform and disseminate awareness of advanced placement programs in the Central Valley.

This event welcomes middle school and high school students, as well as parents to inform them of the initiative which aims to increase college readiness, enrollment and graduation rates of K-12 African American students. 

Community events

On Feb. 24, Fresno State’s African American Initiative will be outreaching at the Clovis North Educational Center from 9:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m as part of its Clovis Unified African American Middle School Student Leadership Conference.

Similar to the virtual event, the AAI aims to inform younger students on college preparedness, enrollment in higher institutions and graduation rates of K-12 African American students. 

Super Sunday is a CSUwide initiative where CSU has partnered with faith-based organizations to hold these events during the month of February to give empowering messages to churches throughout California on the importance of college readiness.

On Feb. 26, several Fresno State leaders will speak, in person and virtually, to various Central Valley faith congregations. President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval will speak at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church’s service at 10:30 a.m. on behalf of Fresno State.

Correction Nov. 14, 2022:

In a previous version of this article, the time for the Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church’s service was incorrect. The event starts at 10:30 a.m.