Black History Month is a way to recognize the diverse faces that make up local communities across Orange County.
While African American residents make up only 2.3% of the county’s population, their history runs deep.
Last year, Santa Ana city leaders honored one of the county’s most prominent Black residents – Helen M. Shipp.
The City of Santa Ana celebrated Black History Month by placing ceremonial street toppers to honor Shipp and her legacy.
Shipp was a Santa Ana resident, and the president and co-founder of the Orange County Black Historical Commission, a group known today as the Orange County Heritage Council.
Shipp, a mother of ten children, is known for her lifetime dedication to her community. Most notably, she is known as the founder of the Orange County Black History Parade.
“I felt it was important to place the ceremonial street toppers for Black History Square to honor the history that a mother helped create for an entire community, in a county where African American voices were disregarded, whether it be by government or structural racism,” said Council Member Jonathan Ryan Hernandez.
“I was so moved by Helen Shipp that this is the only way I could pay my respect. Without that mother’s bravery, an entire community of African Americans would be without a parade to celebrate their history,” he said.
Shipp passed on Jan. 25, 2018. Shipp’s husband, Felton Shipp Sr., followed her on Sept. 23, 2023.
Although funeral celebrations honoring their lives have finished, Shipp’s legacy remains a celebration for Black culture in the county.
“My mother belonged to the community. She was a server. All she did was serve her community, from the time I was born until when she passed. She instilled this into us, to always do your service,” said Dwayne Shipp, Shipp’s tenth child and President of the Orange County Heritage Council.
Santa Ana’s first Black history parade was held on Feb. 9, 1980. The first parades weaved through the city’s Black neighborhood, passing by the homes and businesses of Black residents.
The parade grew with time, and has since moved to downtown Anaheim.
“The Black History Parade and Unity Festival promotes unity and the sense of pride by bringing people together for a common cause,” said Dwayne Shipp. “The event fosters a sense of belonging and connection within the community.”
Read here: A Look at the 43rd Annual OC Black History Parade & Unity Festival
The other street topper designates the cross streets of Willits St. and Rait St. as Black History Square.
“Black History Square brings back a time when the majority of the neighbors around here were Black and Hispanic, when we were growing up,” said Curtis Shipp, Helen’s sixth child. “Right here in this area, there were a lot of people that were from everywhere. We were from Georgia and Florida, and there were a lot of people from Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois.”
“It was sort of like a melting pot, a village where people come from everywhere. Black History Square just brings it back.”
Other cities are celebrating Black History Month through public libraries this year.
The Fullerton Public Library will have displays of books by Black authors in celebration of Black History Month, and the city was involved in this year’s parade.
Orange County Public Libraries (OCPL) will be hosting a number of Black History Month events, including a themed storytime, an African folktale show, a kente cloth craft and talks with Black authors at various branches.
The Santa Ana Public Library will have movie screenings and a freedom quilt squares craft activity.
Anaheim’s Sunkist Library will host a Southern and soul food demonstration.
Read here: Free Things to Do for Black History Month Across OC
Huntington Beach officials drew attention this year, deciding on a very different approach.
City council members opted to nix official celebrations like Black History Month in their Dec. 19 city council meeting, where the council majority voted to approve a new celebration calendar program, anchored around local themes each month.
February is themed “We Love Our Libraries — Huntington Beach’s commitment to books, reading and learning.”
Although city council officials said that there would not be a celebration of Black History Month in the Dec. 19 meeting, city officials later clarified that it would be showcased as a “secondary acknowledgement” during an overview of the calendar during the Jan. 16 meeting.
“The whole process with the city council majority here of putting together this calendar has been dissatisfactory from my perspective and from the perspective of a lot of people in town,” said Huntington Beach Council Member Rhonda Bolton, who identifies as African American.
“Who would want to see something as important as Black History Month labeled as ‘secondary?’”
The city plans to acknowledge Black History Month through social media and/or an article in the city’s own publication, Surf City Break, stated Jennifer Carey, Public Affairs Manager for the City of Huntington Beach, in an emailed response to questions from the Voice of OC.
Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns, Council Member Tony Strickland and Council Member Casey McKeon, who authored the calendar, did not reply to the Voice of OC’s request for comment.
Despite this year’s controversy, Bolton feels optimistic about future expansion of Black History Month celebrations in Huntington Beach. Most specifically, she feels that the city’s main library could expand upon educational displays and events for Black History Month.
“A lot of people feel that what the kids learn in school really only scratches the surface, so it’s good to have these resources to help enrich what they are learning about the rich history that this country has,” she said. “Making sure that people understand as they grow up that all of this is American history.”
“It would be great to get a critical mass of people who want to have a festival, but it is hard to make those strides when you are going backwards, and you are fighting the most fundamental thing,” Bolton said.
As Huntington Beach moves through the new calendar program, some city leaders in Santa Ana say that it is time to move beyond official recognition and better integrate communities of color into city hall.
“There will never be a time where Santa Ana can stop supporting and finding ways to uplift African American voices… there is much more that we can do,” said Hernandez. “Santa Ana is absolutely in a position where we can celebrate Black history, but there is also more for us to do as a city.”
Hernandez believes the city’s next step is having an African American be elected to city council. Currently, his office is working on creating a ceremonial street topper to acknowledge the late Warren Bussey, one of Santa Ana’s first Black businessmen.
“My message to my neighbors is to celebrate Black History Month with your community,” Hernandez said. “When you celebrate Black History Month with your neighbors, you’re celebrating American history, and that is how we as a community are able to come closer together and bridge the gap.”
“When we are able to do that, we can move forward together in the direction of progress.”
Erika Taylor is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow and photojournalist. You can find her on Instagram @camerakeepsrolling.