Join Us to Celebrate Black History Month
This February, we invite you to participate in a series of engaging and insightful events commemorating Black History Month. Our focus this year is empowering voices within the African Diaspora to define and share their own narratives, emphasizing value, beauty and community impact.
Highlights:
Media:
An evening with NBA insider Chris Haynes, a veteran NBA reporter widely regarded as one of the league’s top insiders. He will share his unconventional career path from working as a security guard to leveraging his writing skills to earn prominent broadcaster roles with ESPN, TNT Sports, Yahoo Sports, and more.
Black Voices: Controlling the Narrative, a series of panel discussions on a variety of topics including local coverage and censorship, the importance of early childhood literacy, and supporting community activism. The closing presentation, “Clips and Convos: Being Part of Change,” will include an interactive viewing and discussion of media snippets depicting the Black experience.
Music: Pacific’s Pacific Winds Band, led by Professor Vu Nguyen and featuring soprano Lisa Williamson will perform a concert at Faye Spanos Concert Hall. At that same venue, Pacific’s Jazz Ensemble, led by Patrick Langham will perform featuring Grammy nominated pianist Orrin Evans.
Law: McGeorge School of Law is hosting a film screening, John Burris: Godfather of Police Litigation, followed by Q and A with civil rights pioneer John Burris and the filmmakers, Doug Harris and Brian Spencer.
Community and Wellness: Join us at a community health fair at Progressive Community Church, generously sponsored by the Abbott Fund Future Well, providing free health education and health screenings in our community.
These events provide an opportunity for everyone to learn, honor and be inspired by the many significant contributions of Black individuals who have made a positive impact in our communities and our world. We look forward to sharing these experiences with you and sharing the rich heritage and enduring legacy of Black history and culture.
Our keynote speaker for this year’s celebration is Fresno native and veteran NBA reporter/sideline journalist Chris Haynes. He will speak about his unconventional road to success on February 18, 2025, 6:30 p.m., at the DeRosa University Center ballroom on Pacific’s Stockton campus.
Haynes entered the profession of journalism in a non-traditional way, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education and minor in kinesiology from California State University, Fresno. He pivoted from the typical path of becoming a teacher to follow his personal passion for covering basketball through freelancing. He even worked as a security guard for a year and covered games in the evening, often unpaid, to establish himself in the industry. Over the years he has leveraged this self-made path and become widely regarded as one of the NBA’s top insiders. He has held roles with ESPN, Yahoo Sports, TNT Sports, Bleacher Report and NBC Sports Northwest.
On February 7, the community is invited to gather for a full day of storytelling, dialogue and discovery centered on the power of Black voices. Starting at 10 a.m., engaging panel discussions will explore local media, childhood literacy and community advocacy, highlighting how stories shape understanding and inspire action. The day wraps up with an interactive film clip viewing and conversation that invites attendees to reflect, share and imagine what it means to create change together. Throughout the event, browse community vendors offering books, handmade goods, treats and more from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join us in Stockon on February 12 at 7 p.m. when Pacific’s Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Orchestra, led by Professor Vu Nguyen and feature soloist and soprano Lisa Williamson, described by the Washington Post as “silvery of voice” and “a showstopper.” Williamson is Pacific’s artist-in-residence in spring 2026.
On February 27 at 7:30 p.m., Pacific’s Jazz Ensemble, directed by Professor Patrick Langham, will perform featuring guest pianist Orrin Evans. A fiercely independent artist, Evans is a bandleader, composer and musical collaborator whose ensemble, Captain Black Big Band, has earned three Grammy award nominations.
Performances will be held at Faye Spanos Concert Hall. Community members can buy tickets online pre-event and at the door 30 minutes before showtime. Pacific’s current employees and students, Pacific emeriti faculty and OLLI members can attend the performances at no charge with valid ID.
Join us in Sacramento on February 27 at 4:30 p.m. when the McGeorge School of Law and the Sacramento Center for Inclusion and Diversity will present the film, “John Burris: Godfather of Police Litigation.” Burris, a civil rights pioneer, will discuss his crusade to bring justice to victims of police misconduct and brutality around the country as well as the challenges he faced doing that work. There will be a moderated Q&A after the screening with John Burris and the filmmaking team, Doug Harris and Brian Spencer. This event is free and open to the community.
Faculty and students from the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, the School of Health Sciences and the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, will facilitate a comprehensive, service-based health fair at Progressive Community Church in Stockton from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on February 21. Services provided include blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes testing and immunizations. Blood pressure machines and diabetes monitors will also be provided while supplies last.
