Black Heritage Celebration set for Feb. 18

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 The 29th annual Black Heritage Celebration will be held on Feb. 18 at the Metro-Technology Center, 1900 Drive in Oklahoma City, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The 29th annual Black Heritage Celebration will be held on Feb. 18 at the Metro-Technology Center, 1900 Springlake Drive in Oklahoma City, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

The event celebrates the diversity of cultures in Oklahoma and promotes mutual respect for different experiences, beliefs and perspectives.

The festivities will include entertainment from the Langston University Gospel Choir, under the direction of Bonita Franklin.

The highlight of the celebration will be the presentation of the following awards:

• The Meritorious Service Award will be presented to Jerome White, Region 3 Deputy Director of Adult and Family Services, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS).  

• The Trailblazer Award will be presented to Ayanna Najuma, civil rights activist and leader. Najuma was just seven years old when she joined other members of the NAACP Youth Council at the lunch counter of Katz Drug Store in downtown Oklahoma City in 1958 to protest segregation. Her dedication to the civil rights movement helped secure equal rights for African Americans.

• The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Ahmed Rashidi, the first African American to be permanently assigned to drive the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD) Rescue Squad emergency vehicle. Rashidi retired as OKCFD District Fire Chief in 2006. 

The Black Heritage Celebration is co-sponsored by the DHS Office for Civil Rights, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the Oklahoma Historical Society, and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

For more information about the Black Heritage Celebration, contact Vicki Pettiford at (405) 522-1611.

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