The theme for the 37th Midwest Black Family Reunion Aug. 14-17 will be "Everlasting Endurance." The annual event is a celebration of Black families.
"We as a people have had to endure a lot, and we've lasted, so 'Everlasting Endurance' just speaks to the resilience of our people," says Tracey Artis, executive director. "It speaks to the fact that we're still here. We're the only [near-original] Black Family Reunion remaining in the country, and it speaks to the fact that I believe that we're going to survive all the trials and times, and we'll be able to get through it together as a people."
The is a family-focused celebration of the historic strengths and values of the Black family. It launched in 1989 and is one of only a few such festivals still active. founded the national Black Family Reunion in 1986.
Artis says the event is especially important now as families are living in "special times."
"We see the tariffs; we see DEI initiatives being removed; and we see all that the president is doing and many of the initiatives are not working together for our people, and so we're living in different times," Artis says. "But I believe [that with] events like the Black Family Reunion, more knowledge is spread so more options are available to us as a people, and I think we'll get through it."
This year's keynote speaker is Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
a parade, local college tour, multiple music concerts, a health fair, a job fair, a historic tour of Black Cincinnati, and an attempt at the city's biggest line dance.
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