Annual Sacramento Black History Month Expo: Celebrating The Past, Preparing For The Future

By Roberta Alvarado | OBSERVER CorrespondentThe 37th Annual Sacramento Black History Month Expo took place Feb. 21-23, bringing the community together to celebrate Black excellence, history, and future prosperity. As the spring-like weather embraced Meadowview, Antioch Progressive Church served as the heart of the festivities.& Founded by Rick Warren, this year’s Expo drew nearly 800 attendees over the course of two days with an array of programming aimed at education, empowerment, and community that included a delicious soul-food court, local fashion, artists, musicians, and more.& Friday and Saturday were packed with classes, workshops, and panel discussions.& Rooted in celebrating Black history, the event welcomed historical legacy keepers like Lanelle Roberts Brent who shared her father’s legacy and that of the Tuskegee Airmen. Major George “Spanky” Roberts, was the first of the Tuskegee Airmen accepted into the program while contending with the discriminatory military practices of segregation. They went on to& become WWII heroes. When Brent’s father passed away in 1984, her mother was determined to keep his legacy alive and started the Living History Team for which Brent continues the efforts today, by honoring these stories through vital representation that fuels a vision for the future.Black Expo organizer Rick Warren,...