Black Family Reunion Celebration

In 1986, alarmed by negative publicity about “the vanishing black family,” the National Council of Negro Women created the Black Family Reunion Celebration to do honor to “the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American Family.” Today the Black Family Reunion, held every fall, attracts more than 500,000 people to the National Mall in what is billed as the largest family event in the country.

he Reunion grounds encompass an arts and crafts fair and a wide variety of food vendors. There are also special pavilions where you can get checked for high blood pressure, glaucoma, HIV, diabetes, and high cholesterol; learn about financial literacy, first-time home buying, and predatory lending; meet recruitment officers from historically black colleges and universities; research your heritage with a DNA test; take part in a sports clinic; and much more.

For more, visit www.ncnw.org.

Travel Tips

The 26th Annual Black Family Reunion Celebration “One Day Mega Festival” was held on Saturday, September 10th, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. There was not an event held in 2012 or 2013, but the NCNW hopes for it to return soon.

There’s not much shade on the Mall, so bring sunscreen and a hat. It can still be quite hot in Washington, D.C. in mid-September, so drink plenty of water, too.