Santa Barbara Black Culture House

Santa Barbara Black Culture House returns for its annual slate of Black History Month programs for February 2025. The Black Culture House, a pop-up space with a wide range of cultural events celebrating Black art, culture, and history, will be hosted at Soul Bites Restaurants, 423 State Street, in downtown Santa Barbara on Saturdays, 

February 1, 8, 15, and 22. All events, which include live music, a poetry slam, and community talks, are open to all members of the community and are FREE. Doors open at noon and events start at 1PM.

            Black Culture House has added programming off-site from Soul Bites to supplement its roster in partnership with Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State Street, Santa Barbara. The bookstore is displaying Sally A. Foxen McNeill’s photos of noted Black music icons February 1-28. Chaucer’s will also host a book talk on Sunday, February 23 at 3PM for Darrell M. McNeill’s 33 1/3 book “The Isley Brothers: 3+3.”

“With so much distress over reducing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and pushing people of color, women, LGTBQIA and other groups into the background, Black History Month and Black Culture House are needed more than ever,” says Darrell M. McNeill, who, with his wife, Sally A. Foxen-McNeill, is co-founder, executive producer, and curator of Black Culture House, “The political climate is exactly why we’ve been doing this since 2020.”

Santa Barbara Black Culture House returns to Soul Bites Restaurants, an elevated soul food restaurant at 423 State Street. The restaurant is owned and run by Stirling and Rose Nix-Bradley of Los Angeles. “We are a community-based entertainment venue that embraces all forms of artistry,” says Rose Nix-Bradley, “and provides a safe space for not only Black and Brown communities, but ALL communities. When you’re here, you’re home.”

Santa Barbara Black Culture House 2025 will present the following programs:

·       Saturday, February 1, 1pm – A live poetry slam hosted by Ademola Oyewole-Davis and Tayllor Oyewole-Davis, featuring up-and-coming Santa Barbara area Black poets.

·       Saturday, February 8, 1PM – Community discussion: Coffee With A Black Guy, with James Joyce III: Journalist and community leader James Joyce III returns to discuss matters centered around race in America. This edition will focus on the current political climate and what it will mean for people of color.

·       Sunday, February 15, 1PM – Book talk: Professor Christopher McAuley of UCSB’s Black Studies Department will be in conversation with Professor Greg Freeland of Cal Lutheran’s Political Science Department about Freeland’s book “Music and Black Community in Segregated North Carolina: It’s All Right.”

·       Saturday, February 22, 1pm –Live Music: BFunkn. The return of in demand Los Angeles based funk band, playing crowd favorites.

“Soul Bites has like family to us,” Darrell McNeill said, “They are an amazing partner and passionate community advocates.”

Black Culture House is partnering with Chaucer’s Books to present a photo exhibit by Sally A. Foxen McNeill of noted Black music icons February 1-28.  Chaucer’s is also hosting a book talk on Sunday, February 23 at 3PMwith Darrell M. McNeill about his recent book, “The Isley Brothers: 3+3,” which covers their decades-long history as rock ‘n roll pioneers.

Soul Bites Restaurants is located at 423 State Street, between Haley and Gutierrez Streets downtown. Doors open at noon, events begin at 1pm. Chaucer’s Books is located at 3321 State Street, in Loreto Plaza. All Culture House events are all ages and FREE to the public. The Santa Barbara Black Culture House is sponsored by the Black Rock Coalition and made possible by a grant from The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture. 

For more information, email Darrell McNeill and Sally Foxen-McNeill at SBBlackCultureHouse@gmail.comand follow “Santa Barbara Black Culture House” on Facebook and Instagram.