Happening in Fresno: Mardis Gras at Tower District, Black History Month events

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• Raza Against War plans Feb. 18 protest at federal courthouse calling for human rights.
• Fresno State hosts multiple Black History Month events including exhibits and screenings.
• Community meetings, parades and markets coordinate Know Your Rights outreach and voter mobilization.

Here’s a list of events scheduled to take place over the next couple of weeks in Fresno.

• The Tower District Mardi Gras Parade is set for Sunday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m. in the Tower District. Fresno Resistance will participate in this year’s parade, joined by indigenous dancers Grupo Tonalkalko – Danza Conchera Chichimeca. Organizers say they will distribute beads, candies, literature, alert whistle packets and Know Your Rights cards during the celebration.

• A community meeting and “whistle party” will take place Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Big Red Church, located at 2131 N. Van Ness Blvd., just north of Fresno High School. Organizers say dinner and whistle packets will be provided. The meeting will include a “Know Your Rights” presentation regarding ICE activity.

• Through Feb. 27, the School of Art, Design and Art History at Fresno State will present “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” The exhibit, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is located in the Dean’s Gallery in the Music Building, Room 186, and marks 100 years of recognizing Black Americans’ contributions.

• A documentary screening of “The Power of Nonviolence” will take place Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development building, Room 172, at Fresno State. The film explores Rev. James Lawson Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence and its modern-day applications, followed by a discussion.

• A screening of “Kipkemboi (The Wall Street Boy)” is scheduled for Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Peters Educational Center Auditorium on the Fresno State campus. The film tells the fictional story of a young math prodigy from rural Kenya who develops a successful stock market algorithm.

• “Party at the Ballot Box: Mobilizing Black Women Voters” will be presented Feb. 23 at noon in the Fresno State Library, Room 2206. Authors Melissa R. Michelson and Sarah V. Hayes will discuss the influence of Black women voters in American elections.

• The Black Fly Market will be held Feb. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Gardens at Fresno State. The market will feature handcrafted goods and products from local small businesses and vendors as part of Black History Month programming.

• The Richard “Dick” Keyes Sr. Leadership in Education Forum will close out Fresno State’s Black History Month events on Feb. 28 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery on campus. The forum will focus on leadership and education in the community.

Additional performances, cultural programs and civic events are expected throughout the city as Fresno continues its Black History Month observances and community organizing efforts.