Celebrate Black History Month with KQED at these upcoming community events and screenings. Watch videos and listen to audio celebrating the stories and contributions of African Americans.
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KQED and the African American Arts and Culture Complex present
Black History Month Celebration In 2009, Bay Area filmmaker Kerri Gawryn teamed up with Beats Rhymes and Life and Oakland High School’s Fifth Element Hip Hop Club to shed light on how some young people in Oakland are finding uplifting ways to cope with adversity and build power through Hip Hop. Thu, Feb 27, 2014, at 6:30-8:30pm African American Arts and Culture Complex FREE | RSVP NOW |
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KQED and the University of California at Berkeley’s African American Studies Department present Film Screening and Panel Discussion of Radiant Child and Art Exhibit of Basquiat’s work Directed by Tamra Davis, the documentary features never-before seen footage of the prolific artist painting, talking about his art, and existing in the two years prior to his death in 1988. Fri, Feb 7, 2014, at 2-4pm UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive FREE |
Local Heroes
KQED and Union Bank are proud to honor local heroes doing outstanding work in the African American community.
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Kimberly Bryant Kimberly Bryant, a biotechnology and engineering professional, founded San Francisco–based Black Girls Code in 2011 as a way to close the digital divide for girls of color. Her organization has trained more than 1,500 girls to work in technology fields such as robotics, video game design, mobile phone application development and computer programming. Bryant aims to reach 1 million girls by 2040. Bryant was one of 11 people to receive the 2013 White House Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion Award. The award celebrates people in theUnited States“who are doing extraordinary things to expand technology opportunities for young learners — especially minorities, women and girls and others from communities historically underserved or underrepresented in tech fields.” |
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Gina Fromer Gina Fromer, M.S., is district vice president, YMCA of San Francisco Bayview, Mission, Buchanan Y's. Fromer was born and raised in Bayview and has more than 35 years of experience working with children and adolescents in different local organizations. During her time at the YMCA, she found and addressed three major issues with the youth of the neighborhood: literacy, obesity and truancy. After discovering that Bayview has the highest truancy rate in the city, Fromer spearheaded the Center for Academic Reentry and Empowerment — an academic recovery program that helps children and youth realize the value of education and ensures that truants are able to go back to school, improve academically and eventually graduate. Fromer was recently recognized with the Jefferson Award for Public Service, a local award for outstanding contributions to the community. |
This Is Us Profiles
Watch Black History Month videos from KQED’s This is Us, profiling remarkable, barrier-breaking individuals who have influenced that Bay Area and beyond.
