Black Liberation and Collective Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) Outreach members, a local social justice organization, hosted a community barbecue on Monday in front of San Jose City Hall.
The event, called Black History Month: The Kickoff, celebrated Black History Month and provided food to community members, according to the organizations Feb. 3 Instagram post.
“I definitely am trying to teach my kids about Black history and about Black liberation and that’s really why we’re here,” said Adriana Chavez Lopez, a San Jose resident who brought her two kids.
B.L.A.C.K. Outreach collaborated with Human Empowerment Radical Optimism (H.E.R.O) Tent members, to bring snacks and refreshments for event participants.
H.E.R.O Tent is a volunteer organization that provides resources to Bay Area activist groups, according to its website.
H.E.R.O Tent barbecued meat provided by Grace Baptist Church, which received it as a donation.
Both groups gave freshly cooked meals, including hamburgers, chicken and hotdogs to the unhoused community in Downtown San Jose. They planned to give leftovers to the unhoused communities near the Guadalupe River Park.
B.L.A.C.K Outreach members set up food stations near city hall where people lined up to receive meals.
Next to the stations were Black empowerment chalk art pieces with phrases such as “Black is Beautiful,” “Celebrating Black History” and “Power to the People.”
“You know, we are out here kinda protesting President’s Day and I personally believe that the people have a lot to say,” said the “Power to the People” artist, who wanted to be identified by the alias Mars.
H.E.R.O Tent members also brought canvases for painting, markers and chalk to draw. The supplies were donations from a previous event called Art in The Park, according to a H.E.R.O Tent member who wished to be anonymous.
Lucila Chavez, founder of the community-based roller skating group San Jose Roll Call, brought a speaker for music during the event.
Lou Dimes, president of B.L.A.C.K Outreach, said adding music to the event helped people to relax.
“To come out here all the time and only be angry would be too much on our own mental states and everybody else’s mental state,” Dimes said. “Sometimes you got to dance it off.”
Dimes said the kickoff event was different from the group’s past events with large crowds. He said it was a more intimate gathering where attendees were able to converse and celebrate the month.
“It’s just a day to come out and exist,” Dimes said.
The event was originally planned for Feb. 1, but a coronavirus exposure scare during a previous B.L.A.C.K Outreach event caused organizers to postpone the kickoff until all members quarantined and got tested.
“We take [COVID-19 scares] really seriously with what we do,” Dimes said, “ We do a lot of work with the unhoused and we go out into the encampments and feed people, so we don’t want to possibly cause an outbreak.”
A march around San Jose City Hall was originally scheduled for after the barbecue, but because of weather complications, the event changed to a stationary gathering.
“We’ve tried to just kind of have an attitude of, ‘We said we were gonna come out, unless it’s pouring rain then you know we’re still gonna come out,’ ” Dimes said.
