Beginning Thursday, Aug. 15, more than 15,000 attendees will gather at locations throughout Greater Cincinnati for the Black Family Reunion – an annual tradition once celebrated in cities across the country that has since found a home in Cincinnati.
This year marks the 36th annual Midwest Black Family Reunion featuring four days of food, music from legends like Doug E. Fresh and a keynote speech from award-winning journalist Roland Martin. The weekend will also spotlight local resources through events like the all-profession job fair and two local college tours.
The occasion, first held as the Cincinnati Black Family Reunion in 1989, invites consumers, corporations and visitors alike to champion the historic strengths and values of the Black family.
Amid the light-hearted festivities, the occasion's theme of "reuniting" carries significant historical roots in American slavery, when enslaved Black families were broken apart and sold to slave owners. Following emancipation, Black families fought to reunite, underscoring the idea of family as foundational to their status as free people, as described by the National Museum of African American History and Culture .
"That’s what the Black Family Reunion is all about: going back to our roots. The Black Family Reunion is no different than the Hispanic Festival or the Oktoberfest. It celebrates the legacy of the Black family," Paul Booth Sr., former two-time Cincinnati City Council member and current Office of Human Relations division manager, told The Enquirer in 2016 .
Cincinnati is the only major city that still hosts a Black Family Reunion of the original 28 reunions that were held across the country in major markets like Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The Cincinnati event is the nation's longest-running Black Family Reunion.
Here's everything to know about the four-day event, including this year's theme, schedule and a brief history of the event's Cincinnati roots.
Meet the Black Family Reunion's keynote speakers
This year's reunion features keynote speakers journalist Roland Martin and Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long .
Martin is an esteemed journalist from Houston, Texas. Previously, he's worked as a CNN contributor and hosted TV One's first Sunday news show "Washington Watch with Roland Martin." In 2013, Martin became the host of TV One's first live weekday morning news program "News One Now," for which he won two NAACP Image Awards.
Long is the 18th City Manager for the City of Cincinnati, in which she leads city administration and oversees the policy visions of the Mayor and City Council. Previously, she served as the City Administrator for the City of North College Hill, managing economic development projects, working with government entities and managing the city’s multimillion-dollar annual budget.
Who created the Black Family Reunion?
The late Dorothy I. Height, president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, often credited as the "godmother of the civil rights movement," created the Black Family Reunion. The first reunion, held on the National Mall in 1986, was sponsored by Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble. The second was held three years later in Cincinnati, The Enquirer previously reported .
In a 2008 interview with The Enquirer, Height said she came up with the reunion concept after watching a Bill Moyers television documentary titled "The Vanishing Black Family."
She said the documentary focused only on teen pregnancy, not unique to the Black community but society as a whole. Instead of protesting, she said, Height wanted to create something positive.
"We felt we needed to show the total of the Black family, to celebrate our historic strengths and valued traditions that have kept us alive," she told The Enquirer .
Black Family Reunion 2024 schedule
Thursday, Aug. 15
- BFR College Tour (sponsored by Western & Southern). The tour will depart from Fountain Square at 9:30 a.m. and peruse the following schools: Wilberforce University and Central State University.
- BFR Job Fair (presented by Superior Career Fairs) at Cincinnati Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
- BFR Speaks (presented by First Financial Bank) featuring keynote speaker Roland Martin at Corinthian Baptist Church, 1920 Tennessee Ave., 7-9 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 16
- BFR Heritage Breakfast (presented by Fifth Third Bank) featuring keynote speaker Sheryl Long at Fountain Square. 9-11 a.m.
- BFR College Tour (sponsored by Western & Southern). The tour will depart from Fountain Square at 9:30 a.m. and peruse the following schools: Wilberforce University and Central State University.
- BFR Historic Tour of Black Cincinnati (presented by Metro). The tour will leave at 11 a.m. immediately following the Heritage Breakfast at Fountain Square with transportation provided by Metro. The tour is free and open to the public.
- BFR Lounge Honoring Courtis Fuller at First Financial Bank Community Innovation Center, 1 East Fourth St. Noon-8 p.m. (Courtis to be honored at 5 p.m.).
Saturday, Aug. 17
- BFR Parade (sponsored by Nissan) with Grand Marshall Annie Ruth at Avondale Town Center, 3529 Reading Road. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- BFR @ Sawyer Point + Urban Concert Series featuring Doug E. Fresh at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. Noon-8 p.m., concert at 5 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 18
- BFR @ Sawyer Point + Gospel Concert Series featuring Ricky Dillard at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. Noon – 8 p.m., concert at 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Black Family Reunion schedule features Doug E. Fresh, Roland Martin, more
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