Walla Walla VA Center to host Black History Month celebration

The Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center will host a reception to celebrate Black History Month at noon Feb. 12 in the theater, 77 Wainwright Drive in Walla Walla, Bldg. 78.

The reception is free and open to the public to celebrate a renewed commitment of freedom, equality, and togetherness, and recognize the many contributions of the nation’s African American veterans.

This year’s theme is “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories,” which will focus on the history of African Americans in America, beginning before the arrival of the Mayflower and continuing to the present.

Pastor Zidel Jackson will open the program with an invocation, and the Elizabeth Rodgers Trio will sign the national anthem. The keynote speaker, Dr. Kazi Joshua, associate dean for intercultural affairs and chief diversity officer at Whitman College, will discuss this year’s theme. There will also be a Buffalo Soldier artifacts display.

Following the conclusion of the short program, those in attendance are invited to share in a potluck of ethnic dishes.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Walla Walla VA Center to host Black History Month celebration."