The 38th annual UC Davis Black Family Week begins its weeklong celebration of African and African American culture today with plenty of soul food, music and educational entertainment. There will be a food booth on the Quad today from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. selling hot links, baked beans and drinks.
“Black Family Week is a chance for the black community here on campus to display some of the positive things taking place in our community,” said sophomore anthropology and African American studies major Perriesha Byrd via e-mail. “[It’s] for us to give people a chance to come out and see the things that we work on and learn about here in college.”
Byrd, a Black Family Week logistics student coordinator, explains that this year’s theme of “Be the Generation You Wish to See” hopes to inspire people attending the events. “By displaying good things, I hope it motivates people to do good things in return,” she said.
Highlights of the week include tonight’s screening of Life Support, starring Queen Latifah, about people living with HIV will take place in MU II from 6 to 9 p.m. A panel discussion will follow the movie, where audience members can ask questions and talk with speakers currently living with HIV and a doctor knowledgeable on the topic.
Student Programs and Activities Center coordinator Lori Fuller said, “It will be touching and very [educational]. It’s a good program for people to come out to and learn more about the issue.”
Educational entertainment continues Tuesday, with a documentary showing of Daddy Hunger on absentee fathers in MU II from 6 to 8 p.m. The director of the film, Ray Upchurch, will also be present for a panel discussion afterward.
The events feature sober topics in an inspirational and hopeful manner. “Daddy Hunger attempts to offer solutions to a problem, so that we will learn to prevent the furthering of a problem in our community,” said Byrd. “Life Support addresses the issues of prevention and protection, and even if you do make a mistake, learning from it and stepping up [will] be an inspiration.”
The third movie screening of Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson will take place Wednesday, and not Tuesday as earlier stated on the website.
Those who would like to get a taste of culture need only to go to the Silo Café and Pub during lunchtime, where soul at the the pub will feature music and different menu items relating to the African American community today through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The week’s festivities will culminate on Friday’s Black Family Day and Saturday’s Stompfest. Black Family Day, an event featuring crafts, food, live entertainment, educational and community outreach, drew crowds from 10 to 15,000 attendees in the past, and has dwindled since, according to Fuller. Three thousand people are expected to come out this year and take part in the packed event occurring on the Quad from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“There will be a children’s fair and a health fair Imani clinic is going to help with, as well as a wine and jazz social with winetasting,” said student coordinator and second year nutrition sciences major Effie Forster.
“We had a lot of sponsorship and help from organizations and departments all over campus,” she said.
Black Family Week finishes the last cultural week of this academic school year’s series of Cultural Days with Stompfest, taking place Saturday in Freeborn Hall from 1 to 5 p.m.
Groups all over California will compete in a type of dance using footsteps, spoken word and hand claps. Tickets can be purchased at Freeborn Hall and tickets.com.
The week promises to be full of “educational entertainment,” as Fuller said. “We want the week to be educational, empowering and fun.”
WENDY WANG can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.XXX