Community Interventions, in partnership with California State University, Bakersfield’s Black Student Union, hosted the inaugural Black August celebration on Wednesday, August 27. The event honored Black freedom fighters and the long history of Black resistance against systemic oppression through an art exhibit, spoken word, and powerful speeches that emphasized resilience, faith, and collective action.
One of the evening’s keynote speakers, Pastor Curtis Smith, Executive Director of Faith in the Valley, reminded the audience that Black August is not only about remembering the past but about fueling movements for the present and future.
“Black August is not just a memory, it is about movement,” Smith said. “It is a time when we honor those who resisted, those who organized, those who sacrificed, and those who dreamed of freedom—not just for themselves, but for generations to come.”
He spoke about the role of faith as a tool of resistance throughout Black history, from spirituals sung in fields as coded messages of escape to the organizing power of the Black church during the Civil Rights Movement…