In a black headwrap, tambourine in hand, Paula Jones addressed the audience of 145 gathered around tables in the Wharfinger Building Saturday night for the Black Heritage Ball. Heritage, she said, “means the inheritance of who we are and the value of our culture,” a culture, she noted, that has permeated American life “since we got here.”
As Jones eased into “Autumn Leaves,” attendees at Black Humboldt’s gala event sat rapt and swayed to the song. The evening also featured performances by the youth and adult Harambe Jazz Ensemble, who brought the sound of New Orleans horns, B. Writes’ original vocals and traditional drum-heavy Soul Tree, which brought dancers to the floor.
Meanwhile, chef Jason Mitchell’s Jerk Kitchen served up chafing dishes brimming with Jamaican oxtail stew, brown chicken stew, shrimp curry, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, rice and peas, and vegetarian curry for the crowds. Dessert followed, with offerings from Black Humboldt volunteers, including Paige Dior Hanzy’s homemade banana pudding. (It was fuel enough to give kids playing on the deck outside a second wind.)
Adhering to the dress code “to impress, with a fit inspired by what Black Heritage means to you,” attendees’ evening wear ranged from gowns and bowties to hip hop inflected streetwear and dresses in traditional African fabrics. These were shown to advantage in a playful fashion walk down the center aisle, where kids and adults alike strutted and laughed with Lorna Bryant, aka DJ L Boogie, emceeing.
The evening was also an opportunity to honor contributors to Black Humboldt, including doula Tykeshia “Mama Humboldt” Lescheke, local hip hop artist Ra Ross, Rosemary Grady of Changing Tides, Black Humboldt Co-Chair Levia Love, Eureka NAACP President Sharrone Blanck, Umoja Center Coordinator Alexus Harrelle, Bryant and Aundrea Stuckey of Youth Arts Will Succeed. Each was presented with a golden hair pick mounted on a glittering base.
“Events like this are pivotal to positive self-image and cultural celebration for Black and Brown community members,” said Black Humboldt Board Co-chair Monique Desir. “I think it’s also crucial for there to be more understanding of what Black culture is in practice by the whole community. Black and Brown representation feeds the social aspects of community that we need to grow into our full selves and should be an expected and engrained part of the Humboldt community as well, not just for Black community.” The ball and events like it, she said, are part of that.
Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her) is the managing editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400 ext. 106, or jennifer@northcoastjournal.com. Follow her on Bluesky @jfumikocahill.bsky.social.
This article appears in King Salmon Recovery, Egg-citing Condor News + Black Heritage Ball.