Bernice King, JD, is the keynote speaker for the 37th annual Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion running Aug. 14-17 in Cincinnati. She'll also participate in the groundbreaking for the new Martin Luther King Jr. statue and memorial in Avondale, which is replacing one built in 1987 and removed in 2017 during construction of the I-71 interchange, MLK Jr. Drive, and Reading Road interchange.
Reunion Executive Director Tracey Artis says King's "BFR Speaks" appearance will be a "fireside chat" format hosted by WLWT's Courtis Fuller.
"I've spoken with her team," Artis tells WVXU. "They know the theme, and it's totally up to her the things that she'll share with us, but we're very excited to have her."
This year's theme is "Everlasting Endurance."
"It just means that we as a people have endured a lot, but we're still here. We still remain strong families, thriving and moving forward on our journeys," Artis explains.
New this year is an area for authors to sell their books, and a signature ride event organized by the Major Taylor Cycling Club's Cincinnati chapter. Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor was a professional cyclist and is considered the first Black global sports superstar, according to the BBC.
Other events across the four-day reunion include 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.
Organizers say excitement around this year's parade prompted them to move it Downtown from Avondale. The new parade route will start at Paycor Stadium and proceed along Mehring Way to Sawyer Point. It steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Artis says it's important to shine a light on strong Black families.
"Families allow our communities to thrive, our schools to thrive, and our churches to thrive. So the Black family is a very, very, very important group in the city of Cincinnati and nationally," she says. "I think it's important for all families, not just the Black family, to break bread together, to worship together, to fellowship together and to share. If we have strong family units, we have strong communities, and we have a stronger country."
The Midwest Black Family Reunion 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. Civil Rights leader Dorothy Height founded the national Black Family Reunion in 1986.
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