(Fode Sylla will lead an Afrobeats dance class at the Redmond campus on February 13 | Photo courtesy of COCC)
Featuring an Afrobeats dance class, a screening of the 2023 film Origin and an educational dinner celebration, Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) Black History Month commemoration kicks off on February 8. All events are free and open to the public and registration is required; email mlegrand2@cocc.edu to reserve a spot for individual events. More details can be found at cocc.edu/departments/multicultural/afrocentric.
“We’re honored to feature programs that highlight Black triumph, and we invite all to join,” said Marcus LeGrand, COCC’s Afrocentric program coordinator. “Black History Month is about celebrating the past and present triumphs of the Black community while continuing our efforts to strive toward a more equitable future.”
A Saturday, February 8, showing of the 2023 film Origin, based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson and her National Book Award-nominated work Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, will screen at 4pm in Wille Hall on the Bend campus, with a facilitated discussion to follow. The film follows Wilkerson’s journey through Germany, India and the U.S. as she researches caste systems.
Participants of the Afrobeats dance class, hosted by performer Fode Sylla, from 6-7:30pm on Thursday, February 13, at the Redmond campus’s Technology Education Center, will learn popular Afrobeats moves and classic West African steps. The dance style is a fusion of traditional and modern-day, African-derived movements.
Black History Month events conclude with a Black history dinner celebration from 5-7:30pm on Tuesday, February 25, in Wille Hall on the Bend campus, an honoring of African American culture with educational components and activities.
Sponsors include the COCC Afrocentric Program, The Father’s Group, the City of Bend and the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs, with additional support from Collaborative Healing and Integrative Therapy, the Associated Students of COCC, COCC’s Native American College Prep Program and CAP Services (career services, academic advising and personal counseling).
In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.
