Black History Month in Palm Springs

Event celebrates African American culture and arts as well as the Harlem Renaissance. The Palm Springs High School Choir and James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center drumline and drill team will perform

Recognizing individuals and organizations in the community who have allied or contributed to the success of African American achievements in Palm Springs.
Honorees include:
Continuing Sponsor Award: Olga Montes
Clergy of the Year Award: Pastor Rodney Croom
Community Service Award: Joaquin Galeano
Community Partnership Award: Palm Springs Art Museum
Community Advocate Award: David Weiner
Trail Blazer Award: Brothers of the Desert
Corporate Sponsor Award: Palm Springs Cultural Center
Social Justice Award: United Methodist Church
Student Awards: Jonathan Covington, Mikayla Johnson, Lyzset Waits, Mylah McLelland
James O. Jessie Lifetime Achievement Award: Jackie Patrick.
Free Event / Registration Required

Doors Open & Cocktail Hour at 6:00PM / Dinner & Awards at 7:00PM

General Admission $100 - includes 3 course meal and entry for awards ceremony.
VIP $200 - includes general admission plus unlimited beer and wine during cocktail hour
Deadline to Purchase tickets / January 27, 2024
Click here to Purchase Tickets

Surround yourself to the enchanting sounds of the Sugar Shack, a jazz-inspired Night Sessions. Featuring the remarkable Hope Diamond and her sensational band. Prepare to be mesmerized by captivating narratives and rhythmic harmonies that will transport you to the era of the Harlem Renaissance.
Free Event / Registration Required

Showcasing the talent of local fashion designer Aneka Brown and featuring jazz melodies from Wayne Cobham
Free Event / Registration Required

Bus Departs from James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center at 10:00AM
This tour will introduce you to Black pioneers of our city whose talents and perseverance overcame the prejudices of earlier times. You will see the works of renowned architect Paul R. Williams which include the architecturally significant Town and Country Center (now planned for extensive renovation), and the landmark El Mirador Tower (which is also where Crossley had his office). Learn about land developer and city planner Lawrence Crossley who came here in the 1920s and who reshaped our landscape, created a reliable water source, and represented local Native Americans to the Federal government at a time when those of African descent were forbidden from owning land. We will visit the Crossley Corners trailer park and the neighborhood that now bears his name. The tour will concluded at Desert Highland Gateway Estates — Palm Springs’ first organized neighborhood — where community activists and athletes of worldwide repute have all lived. We will see First Baptist Church and Ajalon Baptist Church two of our Faith Based Institutions. The Tour will end at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, the centerpiece of the Desert Highland Gateway Estates Community, and the social, cultural, and recreational hub of the Palm Springs area.
$25. / Click here for tickets

Celebrate Black History Month and the 2024 theme of African Americans and the Arts with a thoughtfully curated and narrated video tour through black production and representation in film and television.

Local film archivists/historians Melissa Dollman and Devin Orgeron (Deserted Films) will guide viewers from the silent film era to the shows and films we’re watching today ... a fun, informative way to EXPAND your February viewing list!!! And because it’s a Deserted Films event, there will definitely be some home movies! Includes screening of a rare, archival short form the Deserted Films archives!

This Night Sessions event celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Celebrate the culture and music that originated and has been shaped by Black America for decades. Attendees will also be able to participate in interactive activities, such as graffiti art, hip-hop dancing, and more.
Free Event / Registration Needed