The African American Cultural Center of Long Beach (AACCLB) will spend the last weekend of Black History Month focusing on the accomplishments and joy surrounding Black existence in a festive celebration this Saturday.
“Making Black America” will be hosted in collaboration with PBS SoCal, KCET and KJAZZ, and will “celebrate Black joy,” said Jacqueline Quarles, program manager for the AACCLB.
The cultural center does not shy away from the struggles Black people had to overcome—its monthly gallery during Black history month is titled “The Roots of Slavery” and they held an event in the beginning of the month dealing with the Middle Passage.
“Being of African American descent, it’s wonderful to hear about our cultural history, it is an absolute must,” Quarles said. “We need to make sure that our youth understand where we came from. But for me, it’s also equally as important for our young people to know that we have a lot of things to celebrate and lots of positive things to discuss.”
The theme for “Making Black America” is drawn from the PBS SoCal documentary series under the same name. It’s a four-episode series that takes viewers through the many accomplishments, connections and organizations that Black Americans created.
Episodes focus on the safe spaces that Black people created for themselves to flourish, such as Harlem, New York and Springtown, New Jersey. They also delve into ways the Black community supported itself, through rent parties in the 1920s, the creation of historically Black colleges and universities and with it, the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities and other social networks.
Music will have its own space of celebration at the event, just like in the documentary series. The influence that Black jazz artists had on today’s music will be explained to attendees, as KJAZZ plays tunes from the creation of jazz up to modern day melodies.
“[PBS SoCal] wanted to display the film at our cultural center which I was extremely excited about,” Quarles said. “After that discussion, then this sort of burst into where we are now.”
Residents will get the chance to view clips of the PBS documentary, which will be playing on a loop during the event. The screening is one of many things for attendees to do, as there will be exhibits to explore, music to listen to, crafts to create and a family reunion-style feast to enjoy.
The AACCLB is also asking residents to attend in their favorite 1920s-’70s attire, though it’s optional. The entire evening is about “celebrating Black culture in terms of connecting with the community and building and uplifting the community,” Quarles said.
The “Roots of Slavery” exhibit will still be on display for those who haven’t been able to view it, as well as art chosen specifically for the event that has a more celebratory note. For three hours, residents will be able to walk through the cultural center and enjoy art, music, dancing, history lessons and community.
“It’s powerful to let people know and understand that through networking, through communication, through family building, just through commitment, that we do positive things to uplift our people,” Quarles said. “And even in those settings, you can discuss things in the past, but again, they can still be manifested in a positive note where people can understand where we came from, and understand where we’re going.”
“Making Black America” will take place at the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach at 4321 Atlantic Ave. on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Entry is Free.