www.montereycountynow.com JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 5, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 27 CULTURE In numbers, Monterey County’s Black community may not be large. But you can’t tell that by the menu of events marking local Black History Month celebrations that start Feb. 1. “Black history is American history,” says Dirrick Williams of the group Black Leaders and Allies Collaborative (BLAAC). “For the past five years [of BLAAC’s existence] we have been trying to create dialogue and to celebrate Blackness in our community.” This year, the group hosts a series of events both to celebrate and continue the work of confronting and ending racism. Author and activist Glodean Champion opens the month by leading a conversation on unity in the community. “It feels like everybody is operating in their own bubble since Covid,” Champion says. She herself experienced disconnection while struggling with cancer in 2024. “The new administration created a lot of fear and concern,” Champion adds. “I want to create action items that will help with how we can support each other, understand everyone’s needs and stand up for one another.” Despite terms like inclusion and diversity being “so politicized,” she adds, we need to create a diverse community of inclusion—or, as Champion puts it, “create a space of love.” Events like movie screenings, such as 2016 film Loving, set in a time when interracial marriage was illegal, have been part of February celebrations for years. This time, aspects of Black culture will be represented in live performances, food and art, with artists coming from all over California. One of the performers this year is Los Angeles-based Rodney Gardiner, who is bringing his award-winning show Smote This: A Comedy About God...and other Serious $h*t. Gardiner calls himself a “comedian and recovering Shakespearean actor.” In the one-man show, he strives to make sense of his feelings about God in the context of his deeply Christian roots. His story is one of an undocumented Black boy growing up in 1980s Miami where racial unrest, an immigration crisis and the drug war was just another Tuesday. Other events include a performance by the Monterey Peninsula Community Gospel Choir, a screening of Cultural Insights followed by a discussion and more. Black History Month with BLAAC kicks off at 5-7pm Saturday, Feb. 1. All Things New Church, 1375 Josselyn Canyon Road, Monterey, $25. Events continue through February. $120/all-event package. 337-8995, blaac.org. DANIEL DREIFUSS Past Matters The scope of Black History Month events in Monterey County continues to grow. By Agata Popęda Dirrick Williams, founder of Black Leaders and Allies Collaborative (BLAAC), says next year Black History Month will have even more events to celebrate Blackness in America. ’24 Thank You So Much for Voting Us BEST VETERINARIAN Dr. Brynie Kaplan Dau, MS, DVM Surgery • Dermatology • Feline And Canine Medicine Preventative Care Regenerative Medicine, Prp (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Laser Therapy • Exotics And Much More 1023 Austin Avenue, Pacific Grove • 831-318-0306 www.pacificgroveanimalhospital.com Four years in a row! We are honored and look forward to working with you to support your pets best health and quality of life. A Gold Certified Cat Friendly Practice MONTEREY PENINSULA Col lege NEW YEAR. FRESH START. SPRING AHEAD! mpc.edu/findaclass Spring Classes Start January 27th ENROLL TODAY! *Early Spring Classes: Jan 6-25
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