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February will kickoff with Black History Month events across the Rio Grande Valley and UTRGV by fostering and honoring Black cultures.
Anahi Esquivel, program coordinator for the Student Union, said a book club reading will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Union Sage Room on the Edinburg campus hosted by Grant Research Officer Nicole Nicholson. The event will occur at the same time and day in La Sala on the Brownsville campus hosted by Head of Research and Instructional Services, Joel Chirinos.
“We chose ‘Black Candle Woman’ by Diane Marie Brown, and it’s a book about three generations of women in a Black family who possesses magical powers,” Esquivel said. “So we’re really excited about bringing that book for students.”
She said students are able to get a free e-book copy when they RSVP through V Link.
“It’s really nice because they get the free book and then they also get to join an interactive, engaging meeting,” Esquivel said.
She said they wanted to bring education, awareness, foster inclusivity and show solid solidarity, not just for this month but the whole year around.
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“We’re inviting students to be part of this, not just our event, but everything happening during Black History Month.” Esquivel said.
Village in the Valley kicked off Black History Month Saturday with the first Black History Festival at Lincoln Park in Brownsville, unveiling of the historical marker at the Callandria Black History Museum in San Benito, and a networking mixer in Harlingen.
Theresa Gatling, co-founder and co-president of Village in the Valley, said about the mission of their organization and what they are going to do for the Black History Month.
“Elevating and uniting the Black community while connecting the cultures of the Rio Grande Valley and we do that through a number of things for the Black History Month.”
She said that their motto is to create the Black experience in the Valley by engaging with other cultural things as well as share the Black culture to the community.
Gatling said there will be a First Writing Mixer honoring four to five Black pioneers of the Rio Grande Valley from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Vineyard Wine Company in McAllen. The event is open to the public.
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“Our biggest event the Village in the Valley does is going to be occurring on the 22nd of February, which is the Heritage Gospel Fest,” she said. “It’s really that event has been a staple for us. We’ve done it every year just about since our inception.”
She said you can not talk about the Black community without involving church and gospel.
“It’s gonna be in McAllen at the Old Church Winery, we’ve got two choirs coming in to sing, we’ve got some liturgical dance and poetry,” Gatling said.
She said in the meantime, the Old Church Winery will have illustrations and artifacts from different cultures and countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.
“We’re highly encouraging, especially college students to come,” Gatling said. “ It will be a really nice time, again; singing, dancing, poetry, gospel songs … and having a chance to look at some of the other African cultures and their artifacts.”
She said Village in the Valley is trying to reach out to UTRGV to have the possibility to have an event on campus for the Black History Month since their organization is always looking to connect with the college community.
