African drumming events set for WVC campuses

WENATCHEE — Wenatchee Valley College will host African drumming performances and workshops at its campuses this month as part of Black History Month celebrations, featuring ethnomusicologist Javoen Byrd of The Hawk Foundation.

The free events, scheduled for February 18 and 19, will showcase African drumming traditions while supporting the college's student food pantry, Knights Kupboard, through voluntary donations.

Byrd will begin his presentations at the Wenatchee campus on Tuesday, February 18, at 3 p.m. in the Maguire Conference Center located in Mish ee twie. The following day, Wednesday, February 19, he will perform at 6 p.m. in Hazel Allen Burnett Hall on the Omak campus.

Each event will feature Byrd's insights into how African drums served as a form of resilience among enslaved communities in the American South. The program includes a 30-minute interactive drum session open to students and community members, followed by an Afro-folkloric performance combining drums, songs, and dance.

The Hawk Foundation for Research and Education in African Culture, where Byrd serves as executive director, is a Washington-based organization that implements West African and African American music in educational programs, team-building exercises, organizational development, and therapeutic applications.