In honor of Black History Month, the Black Culture Initiative will hold a Black History Celebration on Saturday, February 24th at the People’s Collective, a Black-centered community center in Eugene.
The celebration is part of a larger effort by Black Cultural Festival Executive Director and Founder Talithia Brown Crowell to advance Black culture in Lane County.
“We are doing a lot within the center to ensure that the basic needs of local residents are met,” said Brown-Crowell, who is busy preparing the space for the upcoming celebration. He spoke from the center.
The building will provide subsidized office space to Black-owned businesses, share space with other nonprofits serving the Black community, provide meeting and gathering space, and provide youth and family support. It has become a place.
It also features a children’s room, cultural library, community living room, and arts and crafts space, with walls filled with art and images celebrating Black artists, musicians, and leaders.
Brown Crowell invited the community to Saturday’s Black History Celebration, a guided community about diaspora food and cuisine, Ghanaian arts and crafts, and “What is Black History to Me?” He said he looks forward to enjoying the conversation.
“The purpose of this conversation is to explore how each individual relates to Black history, how we can collectively build an understanding of that relationship, and how we can relate to each other.” “It’s about really considering how we relate. We all have different ways of doing things. Engaging with and sharing Black history is what guided conversations are really about.” Brown Crowell said.
She also said it’s important to acknowledge the pain, suffering and struggle, while also highlighting the beauty, wonder and joy of being black. Embracing them all and doing them together builds resilience.
“Whether we were born and raised on the African continent, or have Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Asian, or Afro-Latino roots, we are all African-Americans, and we all share the same connection. That’s Mama Africa,” she said.
The Black History Celebration will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the People’s Collective, 1695 Jefferson Street in Eugene.