Now in its’ final run at the tiny Celebration Arts theater is Voice of Good Hope, portraying the life of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Barbara Jordan was the first Black female elected to the U. S. Congress, a feisty and spirited orator of impressive skill and powers of persuasion. Congresswoman Jordan was born in 1936 in the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas, long before desegregation and the civil rights awakenings of the 1960’s. Her skin, darker than anyone in her family, set her on a path of self-identity and courage. She learned much of her courage and ethnic pride from her maternal grandfather, John Ed Patten. She attended Texas Southern University, where she became a champion debater

Every 10 minutes, someone in the United States contracts the AIDS virus. Half are black. Thirty years after the AIDS virus was first reported among gay white men, nearly half of the 1 million people in the United States infected with HIV are black men, women and children—even though blacks make up just 12.6 percent of the population. “If black America were a country, it would have the 16th highest infection rate in the world,” says Phill Wilson, founder of the Black AIDS Institute. But how and why is HIV so much worse in black America? Can something be done—on a personal level, policy level, or community level—to bring about an end to the epidemic? ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America, airing

AFRICAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL “Vision for change and bridge to the future” On September 1st and 2nd, the African Cultural festival kicks of its second annual event at William land Park, Sacramento, California. The event is from 9:00 a.m. PST to 6:00 p.m. PST on both days of this historic event. Media coverage: TV and radio stations will be there all day. Diasporas and friends of Africa with their families will be celebrating the carnival type music, African Drums, dances, parade; reggae/Afro beat performances, fashion parade, and many more, to highlight Africa’s Finest! Come experience firsthand the rich heritage, culture from different parts of Africa. Get to see traditional dances, taste a

Do you see quilts as just cozy, inert blankets on the bed? Think again. Quilts are active agents in history and vivid storytellers. Spreading the word about the importance of quilts is Macia Fuller’s mission. In Saturday’s Black History Month program at the Carmichael Library, Fuller described how coded patterns were sewn into quilts to help black slaves escape via the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad but a network of hidden pathways and safe houses that existed from the late 1700’s to the 1860’s to help southern slaves escape to Canada and free northern states in the U.S. The network was supported by abolitionists, free blacks, Quakers and other

In celebration of Black History Month, the California State Railroad Museum is proud to present two special guest presentations and book signing opportunities with Professor Theodore Kornweibel, Jr., author of Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journey.    After 30 years of research and work in the field of black history, Kornweibel will share his thoughts and findings during two special illustrated presentations on Saturday, February 18, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., each to be followed by book signing opportunities.  His photographic book is a captivating, illustrated tour of the black railroad experience from slavery to Amtrak. It includes nearly 200 compelling image

In addition to enjoying the beauty of art and music, some people also enjoy having detailed discussions about it. Master Barber & Beauty Shop, family owned and operated, started “Art on Stockton Blvd.” in 2007. The shop became a place fueled with community activities – specifically a place that praises African American art, music, poetry, literature, and history. According to the event brochure, Art on Stockton Blvd was birthed with the aim of bringing various arts to the Stockton Boulevard area. The Brown family, owners of the shop, created the event, which runs monthly. The shop, located on Master Barber & Beauty Shop,, is managed by the wife of the late owner Earlie D. Brown, Mary P

Terry McMillan’s conversation with Mary Mackey at California Lectures last Thursday evening got off to a rocky start. She pleaded being post-menopausal when she couldn’t remember where she last left her characters from “Waiting to Exhale.” Then she realized she would be asked to read from her new book, “Getting to Happy,” and she had left her glasses backstage. After her glasses were retrieved, things got moving along. The conversation returned to “Exhale” and its sequel. She explained the differences between the endings of the “Waiting to Exhale” book versus the movie. Director and co-screenwriter Forest Whitaker wrote the ending to the movie. McMillan liked the movie ending. In much o

Sacramento, CA-- Every first Saturday, the Sacramento African-American Art Collective (SAAAC) hosts a self-guided art tour exhibiting the works of established and emerging African-American artists. In addition, a wealth of talent by poets, musicians and other artists in various disciplines will be showcased. Participating artists are predominately from the greater Sacramento region and surrounding communities. Art lovers will be able to view creative works in all media at over 10 venues throughout the city. People of all ages are encouraged to come out and enjoy this family-friendly event. The First Saturday Art Tour is free and open to the public from 12noon-9pm. Reception times for “Mee

In celebration of Black History Month, the Old City Cemetery Committee will be giving a free tour at 10 a.m. on Saturday detailing the fascinating history of African-Americans during the 1800s. Bob LaPerriere will be the main tour guide Saturday along with other members of the committee. “I was involved in starting the Old City Cemetery Committee,” LaPerriere said. “ Now I’m the tour coordinator for this particular tour”. LaPerriere has been giving tours for 25 years. Every year he conducts a tour at the old cemetery, which covers the extensive history of physicians and medicine from the 1800s. This tour celebrating Black History Month is not shown every year. It’s been at least eight

The Sacramento African-American Art Collective is kicking off its monthly “First Saturday” art tours this week, looking to bring to light art that organizers said isn’t well-represented. “There’s something happening over here, there’s something worth seeing,” said Gerry “Gos” Simpson, whose paintings are on display at Master Barber & Beauty Shop on Stockton Boulevard. “The African-American community has a lot of things to share. The First Saturday Art Walk is going to bring a lot of people in, and they will be pleasantly surprised.” Despite showing African-American artwork in businesses owned by African-Americans, everyone is encouraged to attend, according to Brady and A. Michelle Blake

The civil rights movement of the 1960s is often viewed as centralized in the South, but blacks in Sacramento faced similar challenges, and a KVIE documentary tells those stories. “It was just a really horrific time in Sacramento,” said Bryan Shadden, a producer at KVIE who worked on the film, “African Americans in California’s Heartland: The Civil Rights Era.” The documentary first aired four years ago, but is being shown again Feb. 17 to coincide with Black History Month. Shadden worked on a story about busing African-American students out of Oak Park after Stanford Junior High School burned in 1963. Students were bused to almost all-white schools in an effort to integrate the races.

Summer is months away but organizers of Solano County’s only free community-wide Juneteenth Celebration are already planning the 23rd annual event scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 11-6 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in downtown Vallejo. The celebration was recently named one of the top five community events in 2010 by the Vallejo Times-Herald. The event theme for the historic observance is “Creating healthy communities through education and empowerment.” Organizers say the celebration will focus on self-development and making informed choices by providing access to a variety of community resources and services that help families live better. “This event is about celebrating th

Milton Bowens would like to believe that when you look at his art work you're not merely viewing paintings, his personal opinion or guarded pieces of his soul. You the viewer are being asked to confront history, truth, cultural stereo types and engage the possibilities of the future. Because when he paints he is not just engaging the viewer or confronting the critic over artistic merit, style and validity, he is confronting the use of art as a tool to communicate. He is asking questions, He is seeking solutions. Born and raised in Oakland, Calif., Milton Bowens is the fifth boy of ten children. Milton’s artistic promise began at the age of five with nothing more than a few pencils and cut

If you and your friends and family are in the mood for some festive fun, entertainment, shopping, historical story telling, and good food then you may want to check out the Juneteeth Festival this weekend June 20th-21st in William Land Park. For those of you not in the know, Juneteeth “Celebration of Freedom Weekend” is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865 some two and half years after the Emanicipation Proclamation that news broke to those Americans in Texas that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free. Since then generations upon generations of African Americans along with other ethnic communities have com

Mason jar in hand chasing, bug’s light wee While giggle bubbles pop! around their heads Pretty girls three, they run and play so free Summer nights creatures of flight, try to flee Caught in the web of memories, instead Mason jar in hand chasing, bug’s light wee Carpets of grass feel cool to their bare feet Feeling dewy and slippy, as they tread Pretty girls three, they run and play so free Snatched weeds put in. Quick! They try as one flees Within that moment, spans the eyes with dread Mason jar in hand chasing, bug’s light wee “Let’s take them in and take care.” All agree. Try to hold the minute, that instant dead Pretty girls three, they run and play so free  

I Watch a Leaf I watch a leaf, bound in a tiny pool Dismal flora, unmindful it is dead Autumnal wind, used as pushing tool This parking lot puddle, bumping its edge I watch the leaf; dried, brown, crescent crumble While its friends, they twist and roll they are free Scent of shop donuts, build tummies grumble Winds slash and lash my skin, howling a plea I watch a leaf, the leaf of my shared grief Who doesn’t want to die, meet brevity From time no relief, life span, living brief Out of grasp or my hands, longevity Honor all seasons, vanity, false belief Walk away from composting of, this leaf     Foggy is ths Bridge Foggy is this bridge, its seamed with soft lights Thick is the m