About an hour drive from Detroit, a 6th generation descendant of an escaped enslaved American is looking forward to the 86th Annual North Buxton Reunion Friday, September 3 to Monday, September 6. “The Labour Day Homecoming is about family and friends - it's like a renewal of your soul and spirit. So many people who have ties to the community return with their children, grand children and great grandchildren to find their roots, re-connect and to get grounded,” says Shannon Prince.

The Sunshine Club of the British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church initiated the first homecoming in 1924. (Many of the BME Afro-Canadians had roots in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, but formed their own denomination and selected the BME name to display their appreciation for finding a safe haven from slavery in British North America. (also known as Canada)).

Those gathering at the reunion will be mostly descendants of those who fled slavery in America. They fled to Canada where the British were still in control and had already abolished slavery.

The Buxton Settlement became home for approximately 2,000 people of African descent, many of whom returned to the United States and held positions of prominence because of the opportunities they had while in Buxton and other parts of Canada. Many famous “African-Americans” have lived or visited the settlement including Martin Robison Delany (The Father of Pan-Africanism), and activist, teacher, and publisher Mary Ann Shadd Carey.

Two of the area’s first graduates included Dr. Anderson Abbott, who was the first Black Canadian to become a licensed physician and one of eight Blacks to serve as a surgeon in the American Civil War, and James Rapier, Civil War era U.S. Congressperson who represented an Alabama district.

Prince continued, “The reunion is very emotional because you know that some people who return "home" every year won't be here to celebrate with you. It's also a special time to honour our ancestors who have paved this road to freedom for us."

While visiting the settlement earlier this year with other journalist as guests of the Toronto city and Ontario province governments, we stayed in the Retro Suites Hotel in nearby Chatham. Though there are less expensive accommodations in the area, staying in this boutique hotel where each room has a unique theme, is worth the cost.

Photo:  School house at Buxton.  One of several historic buildings at Buxont Settlement where many of the original descendents still live.

Celebrating its fifth consecutive year, the African Diaspora Film Festival features a selection of international, independent films that explore the richness and diversity of the human experience of people of color. The four-day program features ten curated films, including eight Washington, D.C., premieres.

TICKETS:

• $10 General
• $60 Series Pass
• $8 Senior/Student (available at the door only)

Save $5 per ticket:

• Purchase discount tickets by phone, 202-857-7700, or at the Ticket Office window. Use discount code ADFF.
• Advance sales only, discount not available at the door.

Tuesday, July 13 at 10:00p (90 minutes)

Good Fortune is a provocative exploration of how massive international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. In Kenya’s rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multimillion-dollar rice farm. Across the country in Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest shantytown are being demolished as part of a U.N. slum-upgrading project. The gripping stories of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development present a unique opportunity to see foreign aid through eyes of the people it is intended to help.

Michael Jackson's mother joined Gary, Indiana Mayor Rudy Clay in honoring the late singer at his boyhood home Friday, June 25. Jackson was there to unveil a granite monument to the singer that once stood at the U.S. Steel Yard, the city's new minor league baseball stadium. The monument was moved to the family's home at 2300 Jackson Street in Gary's traditionally-Black Midtown section.

According to the Gary Post-Tribune, Katherine and Joe Jackson has agreed to build a family entertainment complex in Gary, but that the attorneys for the singer’s estate has not completely signed onto the deal as of yet.

It’s hot and it’s summer time as your cruise down East Capitol Street and you remember reading in Snippets that hand scooped ice cream is free for children 4 and under, well you are in luck because they are open Monday through Friday 8:30a to 6p at 4th and E. Capitol Streets.