SLO County events showcase ‘Belonging’ during Black History Month
What does it mean to be black in San Luis Obispo County?
A new multimedia event series, Belonging: Local Expressions of Black Empowerment and Possibility, takes on that question just in time for Black History Month. It’s being organized by local nonprofit R.A.C.E. Matters.
The Belonging program kicked off Feb. 1 with sold-out screenings of the short documentary “Kut To Be The Best: The Last Black Barbershop in San Luis Obispo.”
Other events in the series include the art exhibition “Belonging: Portraits and Perspectives,” featuring portraits of prominent black community members by photographer Renoda Campbell paired with oral history excerpts.
“Portraits and Perspectives” is on display through April 30 at two San Luis Obispo locations: Downtown SLO headquarters, 1135 Chorro St., and the San Luis Obispo Library, 995 Palm St.
An opening reception for “Portraits and Perspectives” will be held 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Downtown SLO during Art After Dark. Participants can chat with artists and organizers and sample wines from black winemakers and black-owned wineries, including Indigené Cellars in Paso Robles and Lumen Wines in Los Alamos.
On Feb. 12, a panel of black entrepreneurs from across San Luis Obispo County will participate in “Black Business Belongs: Supporting Our Local Entrepreneurs” at the SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel, 2241 Price St. in Pismo Beach.
The discussion, moderated by San Luis Obispo City Council member Erica Stewart, includes Pismo Beach hotelier Myraline Morris Whitaker, Arroyo Grande communications firm founder Marsheila DeVan and Atascadero bakery owner Penni Monroe. That event, 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 12, includes complimentary appetizers and a no-host bar.
Later in the month, “Stories Matter: An Evening of Live Storytelling” brings together storytellers include forensic pathologist Dr. Joye Carter, who became the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s first full-time medical examiner in 2017.
That event will be held 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 29 at The Kinney SLO hotel, 1800 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo, in collaboration with The Reboot - Storytelling Reimagined.
Based in San Luis Obispo, R.A.C.E Matters describes itself as a community-based organization that “amplifies the voices of Black and other People of Color in an effort to build an actively anti-racist Central Coast.” R.A.C.E stands for “Responsibility Action Compassion Education.”
For more information about Belonging: Local Expressions of Black Empowerment and Possibility, go to racemattersslo.org.
