February 4, 2025  

Media Contacts:   
Edith Gomez, WVC Omak Student Life and Diversity Coordinator, 509-422-7814, egomez@wvc.edu  
Marcine Miller, Public Information Office, Executive Director, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu   

 

The public is invited to celebrate Black History Month at Wenatchee Valley College in February. Both campuses will host African drumming events presented by Javoen Byrd of The Hawk Foundation. This event is free to the public, and donations will be accepted in support of Knights Kupboard, WVC’s student food pantry on both campuses in Omak and Wenatchee.  

Byrd will perform at the Wenatchee campus on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 3 p.m. in Maguire Conference Center in Mish ee twie. His next performance will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. in Hazel Allen Burnett Hall, rooms 401-402, on the Omak campus. 

Byrd will explain how the use of African drums was a form of resiliency amongst enslaved communities in the South. He will also provide a 30-minute interactive drum facilitation for students and the public, and give an Afro-folkloric drum, song, and dance performance.  

The Hawk Foundation for Research and Education in African Culture is a Washington-based drum and education organization that utilizes West African and African American music to promote education, team bonding, organizational development, and research-based therapy. Byrd is an ethnomusicologist and serves as the executive director of the Hawk Foundation. 

 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all students and employees and provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu. 

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. 

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses: 

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Human Resources, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu. 

• To request disability accommodations: Student Access Manager, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.