Palm Springs Honors Black History Month

The city of Palm Springs is honoring February as Black History Month with a variety of entertaining and educational events planned by the City’s Black History Month Committee.

All events are open to the public.

Here is a list of events coming up:

• Black History Month Awards Gala, 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, Hilton Palm Springs. 400 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. Honorees include 100-year-old local resident Frank Miller, famed drummer Alvin Taylor, local civil servant Clifford Reed and Dr. Hosea Brown.
• Adult Basketball Tournament, Saturday, Feb. 10. James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, 480 Tramview Road. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Tip off is 10:15 a.m.
• The Artists and Their Work. 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive.
• 31st Annual Black History Parade and Town Fair. Parade is Saturday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. along Palm Canyon Drive. Town Fair runs noon to 6 p.m. in Frances Stevens Park on the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Alejo Road.

For more information about events, click HERE. 

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme.

The Black History Month 2018 theme, “African Americans in Times of War,” marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and honors the roles that black Americans have played in warfare, from the American Revolution to the present day.