Tag archives: black history

Black History Month: A Healing Poem by Leonie 
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 25, 2025

For Week Three of Black History Month we are blessed with a healing poem by Dr. Leonie H Mattison, EdD, MBA, President and CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria. I asked her how and when her poem came about. She said she wrote it this year, and shared, “This season has been very thick with […]

Black History Month Updates from Healing Justice SB
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 18, 2025

For week two of Black History Month, we bring our focus to Healing Justice SB, a nonprofit organization that will celebrate its five-year anniversary this May.  Founded May 2020 by Krystle Farmer Sieghart, Simone Akila Ruskamp,and Leticia Forney Resch,their mission is, “To uplift all Black African Americans to affirm that they are deserving of safety, […]

Wendy Eley Jackson – MFA, Filmmaker & Westmont College Faculty
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 11, 2025

My annual Black History Month is launched for 2025 with Wendy Eley Jackson MFA; a filmmaker, TV Director/Producer, and college faculty. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of Auburn Avenue Films with 30 plus years of television broadcasting and film experience in the industry. Jackson’s TV/Film work spans SONY Pictures TV, Turner Broadcasting, and […]

Black History Month 2024: Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu
By Joanne A Calitri   |   March 5, 2024

We are celebrating Black History Month with Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu, PhD.She is the Provost and dean of faculty at Westmont College, Montecito. Denu is an ordained minister, author, speaker, and teacher. Prior to Westmont she was the vice president for educational programs for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.  Denu is […]

Robey Theatre’s ‘The Talented Tenth’
By Joanne A Calitri   |   March 5, 2024

Santa Barbara Black Culture House’s Founders Darrell McNeill and Sally Foxen-McNeill presented their two final cultural events of the month over February 24 and 25, at Soul Bites Restaurant.  First was a music performance by Los Angeles band The Funky Neighborson Saturday. The band members are Damon “Super Day” Wilson (keyboards), Terrence “Smoke” Huggins (drums), […]

Black History Month Feature Interview Part 2: Warren B. Ritter II
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 28, 2023

As we near the end of Black History Month, hopefully all of us have given ourselves the opportunity to explore and experience Black history, culture, contributions, and successes.  The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. writes, “Carter G. Woodson and his co-workers were many, ranging from college presidents and government […]

Black History Month Part 1: Darrell M. McNeill and Sally A. Foxen-McNeill SB Black Culture House
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 21, 2023

Black History Month (BHM) is an annual national celebration during February that commenced with Negro History Week (February 1926) initiated by Carter G. Woodson, founder of Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). Later in the 1940s, Blacks in West Virginia began to celebrate February as Negro History Month, and by 1960 […]

Black History Month: Talking About the Issues with Healing Justice Santa Barbara
By Joanne A Calitri   |   March 1, 2022

“Black History is World History” We read and hear this, but are we listening? Are we showing up to support the Black/African community we share this town with, to learn and heal, to ensure they feel safe and free to be who they are to live and thrive here? To begin our important work in […]