By Dianne Anderson

Local Black artists, creative minds, small businesses and intelligentsia will converge on several venues this month for laughs or tears of fury for deep contemplations over modern machinations.

Moori Richardson said that his event Moor Laughs with Moori is a family roots play on words and names for their historical ties to the original Moors of the Black North African Berbers.

Richardson, an entrepreneur and comedian by trade, hosts shows year-round throughout the IE, and said that he is excited to broaden his outreach this month by bringing together small businesses to showcase their products.

On Saturday, February 15, Black Love Festival features vendors and entertainment, a DJ, and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 7399 Victoria Avenue, Highland.

It will help smaller business owners with online products and other goods to make the sale.

“A lot of people from the IE have a business but they don’t know how to start or they don’t have a storefront,” said Richardson, entrepreneur and business owner who is organizing the Black Love Festival in Highland.

“I’m doing this for anyone who has an online or catering business or like a pop-up market. We’re going to have giveaways, and just good vibes. It’s a market where people can come and enjoy themselves and share their product with the local [community],” he said.

Ontario Museum will host its interactive showcase from noon to 3:00 p.m. featuring a variety of activations, including an artist talk and the spotlight on local talent.

On February 8, the “History & Arts Studio Saturdays: Black History Month Collective event will mix up vendor booths, pop-ups, artist-led art-making workshops, and meaningful conversations on how art reflects life.

Carlos Guerrero, assistant curator of education at the museum, said the celebration is a great way to connect with art, the artists, and the culture that has helped shape the Black experience.

On Saturday, February 8, the museum welcomes the entire community for hands-on activities, creative workshops and discussions with local artists. That event, from noon to 3:00 p.m., is held at 225 S. Euclid Avenue, Ontario.

“The entire museum is going to be activated, it’s the first time we’re doing an event celebrating Black History Month at this scale,” he said. “We’ll have approximately eight artists booths, and art shops will have four prominent artists from the area.”

But the culture won’t stop at month’s end. They expect to continue connecting with Black artists on programming that extends well beyond February. Last month, the museum also celebrated the Lunar Year, pulling out many people from various backgrounds.

He said the museum is invested in diverse programming.

“Keeping the ball rolling, we have a number of programs going on in February. We’re always open to collaborating and creating more programming for our Black community in the area,” he said.

At Cal State University, San Bernardino, the campus is breaking out several of its Black History Month events at the Pan-African Student Success Center.

On February 13, “The Shop” offers free barbering, braiding, and grooming services for students, with a space to rest and refresh from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Following the event, networking opportunities for Black Faculty, Staff, and Student Association members run from noon to 2:00 p.m. Also organized by BFSSA, the Black History Month Mixer starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Men’s Basketball with fun and games for everyone.

Celebrations continue on February 20 with the Black Student Union hosting its Family Feud event that runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. Over at the University’s Palm Desert Campus, the Rancho Mirage Student Center will explore A Night at the Museum: Celebrating Black Culture and Arts, with a breakout of culture and art from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The campus wraps up events with the Pioneer Breakfast from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at SMSU North, 2nd Floor.

At UC Riverside, students and community can register for the virtual screening of the courageous Ruby Bridges, the six-year-old who was escorted by U.S. Marshals to the all-white school in New Orleans after Brown v. Board of Education ordered racial segregation as unconstitutional. The school was so racist that only one teacher, from Massachusetts, agreed to teach the child. That streaming event will be held on Tuesday, February 18 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Also at the UCR campus, the community can explore works and research by Dr. Tyrone Howard in “Doing Equity During Times of Dystopia.” That event, hosted by UCR School of Education and the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, looks at academic achievement in urban schools, closing the gap for Black and other culturally diverse students, and empowering teachers with skills needed to combat persistent underachievement.

In the face of anticipated sweeping national changes to DEI, the City of San Bernardino Mayor and City Council recently announced their commitment to February 2025 as Black History Month.

“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and the City Council of San Bernardino do hereby proclaim February 2025, as Black History Month in the City of San Bernardino and extend our heartfelt gratitude to The Black Culture Foundation for its dedication and outstanding contributions to our city. We encourage all residents of San Bernardino to participate in Black History Month celebrations and to join in honoring the achievements and rich heritage of African Americans,” the proclamation said.

For more information:
Moori Richardson, see https://www.facebook.com/moori.richardson/
Ontario Museum of History & Art:

Programs & Events

At UCR:
https://events.ucr.edu/event/free-virtual-screening-ruby-bridges-a-black-history-month-celebration
https://events.ucr.edu/event/doing-equity-during-times-of-dystopia

To see the proclamation: https://www.sbcity.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=355