For the first time, COCC’s Madras campus will host two community forums as part of the college’s celebration of Black History Month.

Published 10:29 am Thursday, January 29, 2026

Central Oregon Community College’s Madras campus will host two community forums as part of the college’s observation of Black History Month, the first time the Madras campus has celebrated the weeks long event.

The two forums — held at noon and 4:40 p.m., Feb. 18 — will focus on showcasing “the relationships among communities in Madras, Warm Springs and surrounding areas,” according to organizer Marcus LeGrand, who coordinates the community college’s Afrocentric Club. The events are meant to appreciate the cultural contributions of Black people.

“I wanted to make it a conversation like we’re in a classroom,” LeGrand said.

LeGrand has led the community college’s Afrocentric program almost five years ago, said there is a “void” in people’s knowledge of Black people’s contributions to the region, and a lack of representation for the Black students he has interacted with.

“It was a great opportunity to start putting this programming together, starting to build pathways for students to be able to showcase their skillset,” LeGrand said. “But the main thing I wanted to do is just be able to bring a light to something that hasn’t been done here.”

The free forums are open to anyone, LeGrand said.

“History is knowledge,” LeGrand said. “We get information thrown at us all the time. And when we have knowledge, that means we’ve taken the time to go dig a little bit and figure things out.”