Organizers of African American History Month celebrations at Fresno City College plan to rejoice in gospel music to close the month’s events.

The African American Faculty & Staff Association will host a gospel celebration Sunday at 3 p.m. in the main cafeteria.

“We want to go out with a bang!” said Dr. Jean Kennedy, instructor of women’s studies and coordinator for the month’s events.

Kennedy said gospel celebrations can be seen as either religious or spiritual events, but she feels that it’s more of a cultural expression.

“You don’t have to be religious to acknowledge gospel music. But it’s a part of the culture,” Kennedy said.

Also in the closing celebrations, FCC will acknowledge Dr. William “Bill” Riddlesprigger, a retired English professor who died Feb. 6. He was 67.

According to news reports, Riddlesprigger served as a Vietnam veteran, was the first African American elected as a Fresno Unified School District trustee, presided as president of the local NAACP chapter, and taught at FCC from 1976-2006.

 Kennedy said, “We want to acknowledge Bill because he was a faithful faculty for 30 years.”

As the month comes to a close, Kennedy said she hopes that students and staff have enjoyed this year’s African American History Month festivities and has had a great learning experience.

“All of the events have been great and the opening ceremonies were fantastic,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said that although she was unable to attend, people have told her that the Rites of Passage event early in the month was a highlight.

The Rites of Passage is a chance for conversations to be heard by African American men and women. Kennedy said she heard that students “kept it real” and “talked about what we need to do as Black people.”

Topics included: “How do we represent ourselves in a positive way?” and “What is it like to be a black man today?”

It was those kinds of conversations, Kennedy said, that the “brothers” and “sisters” spoke about, of how African Americans need to present themselves and support each other.

“We must remember who we are and how we move forward in our society today,” Kennedy said.

Another one of the month’s biggest events was the Afrikan Tent Celebration on Feb. 17-18. As vendors, food, and music filled the free speech area, members of the community and students of different cultures were invited to come hang out together.

Kennedy said, “When we describe the Afrikan Tent, it’s a time for everyone to come together, celebrate culture in a common marketplace.”

 Kennedy also noted collaborations between FCC and Fresno State to help make African American History Month a reality. “Pulling these two things together has been very challenging,” she said. “We’ve found very creative ways to spread the word and they’re having great responses.”