There is plenty to keep you entertained, educated and civically engaged this week in Richmond and nearby communities.
Highlights include: Black History Month events that include music and storytelling as well as a remembrance for a famous Rosie and a free grocery giveaway in downtown Richmond.
For more, see our list of ongoing things to do (many of which are free). Also, don’t forget to add your events to our free community calendar.
- Music and tacos at Los Cenzontles
- FIERCE Advocates hosts event to plan for the year ahead
- Black History celebration will feature music, culture
- Black History stories being read at local bookstore
- Saturday morning coffee with Richmond City Council member
- Betty Reid Soskin life celebration is sold out
- County to open Nevin Plaza voucher waiting list for applicants 62 and older
- Free groceries available at giveaway at CoBiz
- WCCUSD to hold another meeting about fiscal stabilization
- Tickets available for NAACP community engagement banquet
- Plan to standardize public transit signs has been approved
- Citizens invited to apply for county Grand Jury
- Related stories
Music and tacos at Los Cenzontles
You can listen to young musicians perform while enjoying a dinner of tacos at an upcoming concert.
The Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy is hosting Music & Tacos as a fundraiser for its youth arts programs.
The concert will feature music from Los Cenzontles Juvenil, one of the nonprofit organization’s advanced group of teen musicians.
Music & Tacos concert, Fri., Feb. 27, 7 p.m., Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy, 13108 San Pablo Ave., San Pablo. $15; free for 17 and younger.
FIERCE Advocates hosts event to plan for the year ahead
Leaders at FIERCE Advocates are inviting the community to hear about the nonprofit’s plans for 2026.
FIERCE Rising: Our 2026 Collective Kickoff will bring together FIERCE staff members, program partners and local residents to launch the group’s work for the year ahead.
“This evening will include team introductions, brief presentations highlighting each program’s plans for 2026 and space for conversation and collaboration,” the event organizers said. “We will also make time for connection through fun, engaging questions and collective reflection to help shape the year ahead.”
The event is free and childcare will be provided.
FIERCE Rising: Our 2026 Collective Kickoff, Fri., Feb. 27, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., FIERCE Advocates Health and Healing Center, 312 Ninth St., Richmond. Free.
Black History celebration will feature music, culture
The city of Richmond is commemorating Black History Month with an afternoon of “music, movement, culture and community.”
Organizers say the annual Black History Celebration is designed to “honor the rich history and achievements of African Americans.”
The free event will feature music, line dancing, lunch and light refreshments. There will also be a short remembrance of Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest park ranger, who recently died.
Black History Celebration, Sat., Feb. 28, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Richmond Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center, 403 Civic Center Plaza. Free.
Black History stories being read at local bookstore
Children can learn about Black history during an event at a Richmond book store.
The Multicultural Bookstore is hosting the Black History Story Time, a family-friendly event.
The free community gathering will feature snacks, drinks and coloring pages with crayons.
Black History Story Time, Sat., Feb. 28, noon to 1 p.m., Multicultural Bookstore, 260 Broadway, Richmond. Free.
Saturday morning coffee with Richmond City Council member
Richmond City Council member Cesar Zepeda is hosting a series of Saturday morning community coffee get-togethers.
The first quarterly Coffee Mornings in Zepeda’s District 2 will take place at Flor Hermosa Coffee.
The council member is inviting community members to share their thoughts and suggestions. Zepeda is running for reelection this year.
Future Saturday morning coffees will be held on March 7 and March 14.
Coffee Mornings with Cesar Zepeda, Sat., Feb. 28, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Flor Hermosa Coffee, 425 Cutting Blvd. Free.
Betty Reid Soskin life celebration is sold out
A ceremony in Oakland honoring Rosie the Riveter park ranger Betty Reid Soskin has been sold out.
Reid Soskin died at her Richmond home on Dec. 21 at the age of 104. She was the nation’s oldest park ranger and the namesake of Betty Reid Soskin Elementary School.
During World War II, Reid Soskin worked as a file clerk for the U.S. Air Force. In 1945, she and her husband, Mel Reid, founded Reid’s Records in Berkeley, a small business that specialized in Gospel music. Reid Soskin later became a civil rights songwriter in the 1960s.
She joined the park service at the age of 85. She was known for telling visitors to the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park about the stories of marginalized World War II workers.
Her family noted on her Facebook page that the city of Richmond will devote a short portion of its Black History Month event to remembering her.
Richmond Black History Celebration, Sat., Feb. 28, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Richmond Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center, 403 Civic Center Plaza. Free.
County to open Nevin Plaza voucher waiting list for applicants 62 and older
The Contra Costa Housing Authority will accept waiting list applications for Nevin Plaza residences between 10 a.m. Mon., March 2 and 4 p.m. Thur., March 19.
Pre-applications must be submitted online or call 925-957-7085 for assistance.
Applicants must be 62 and older. The available units at 2400 Nevin Ave. include one- and two-bedroom apartments.
Contra Costa County project-based voucher waitlist application period, March 2-March 19. Visit the website for details and to apply.
Free groceries available at giveaway at CoBiz
Free food will be available at a grocery giveaway in downtown Richmond.
The distribution is held on the first Wednesday of every month at the CoBiz Richmond office.
The event is co-sponsored by CoBiz and the Brothers of International Faith, a nonprofit organization based in Richmond.
Those attending are advised to arrive early as supplies generally are exhausted within an hour.
The food items include fruits, vegetables, potatoes, desserts, snacks, milk and eggs. At some giveaways, there is also meat and packaged goods such as sandwiches, juices and other drinks.
The food comes from establishments such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and White Pony Express.
The Richmond giveaway is one of more than a dozen monthly food distributions organized by Stanley “Mr. Stan” Byias, the co-founder of the Brothers of International Faith.
Grocery Giveaway 2026, Wed., March 4, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., CoBiz Richmond, 1503 Macdonald Ave., Suite A. Free.
WCCUSD to hold another meeting about fiscal stabilization
The West Contra Costa Unified School District is holding the latest in a series of public meetings to get input from residents on the district’s financial issues.
The fiscal stabilization plan was launched by Superintendent Cheryl Cotton in September as a way to inform the public of the district’s financial situation and to get feedback.
The series of in-person and virtual meetings began on Sept. 15 and continues through May.
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The first phase dealt with budget assessments. The second phase focused on root causes of the district’s budget deficit. The current third phase was on attainable goals. The current fourth phase deals with implementation and monitoring.
West Contra Costa Unified School District budget meeting, Thur., March 5, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., De Anza High School library, 5000 Valley View Road. Future meetings will be held on April 2 and May 7.
Tickets available for NAACP community engagement banquet
The Richmond branch of the NAACP will honor community leaders at an upcoming banquet.
At the Community Engagement Recognition Banquet local NAACP officials will present their annual membership awards to chapter members as well as public servants, business leaders and programs that elevate young people.
NAACP Community Engagement Recognition Banquet, Sat., March 7, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Contra Costa College, 2600 Mission Bell Drive, San Pablo. $25 per person; reservations are required.
Plan to standardize public transit signs has been approved
In an effort to help commuters get where they’re going, Bay Area transit providers are standardizing their signage.
The Regional Network Management (RNM) Council has approved a plan that will standardize signs and maps at train stations, bus stops and other transit hubs.
RNM officials said the goal is to “make it easier for riders to identify information and use transit by delivering information that is clear, predictable and consistent across service areas and county lines.”
“Consistent signage at the Bay Area’s approximately 21,000 transit stops is expected to improve legibility for riders and is intended to reduce long-term design, fabrication and maintenance costs for transit agencies,” RNM officials said.
The new signs have already been tested at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station and in Santa Rosa.
Citizens invited to apply for county Grand Jury
Residents of Contra Costa County have until March 13 to apply to be a member of next year’s Contra Costa County Grand Jury.
Grand jurors must be U.S. citizens, 18 years or older and a resident of Contra Costa County for at least one year. They cannot be an elected representative within the county.
Grand jurors should be prepared to devote at least 30 hours per week of service. Members receive a daily stipend of $25 for meetings as well as mileage reimbursements.
The grand jury serves a one-year term that begins on July 1. Jurors are expected to attend a two-week training session in June.
The grand jury members decide which issues they will investigate based on reports from law enforcement, citizens, government agencies and other outlets.
The panel operates as an independent body under the supervision of a Superior Court judge.
About 75 applicants will be selected to be interviewed by a panel of Superior Court judges. About 30 finalists will be chosen and from those 19 grand jury members will be picked in a random drawing.
For more, see our list of ongoing things to do (many of which are free). Also, don’t forget to add your events to our free community calendar.
