Our supporters have learned they can count on us. The Saginaw African Cultural Festival will always be there at Morley School Park, the second full weekend in August. which means 2023 will be Aug. 11-13.
We even maintained when COVID-19 invaded all of our lives. We would have canceled in 2020, but we went virtual. We carefully came back with one day in 2011, and we returned full-scale with three days last summer.
This year will mark our 55th annual festival. Our research indicates that little old Saginaw is home to the nation’s longest-running annual Black arts event, surpassing even the major cities.
This is a credit to the original founders of a modest downtown event in 1969 that has blossomed into a summer staple for so many patrons. Omowale Art Smith still is with us, although Charles McNair passed away in 2021.
As longtime principal at Morley Elementary, Mr. McNair always made sure that children’s activities were included and that SACF would gain its well-earned status as a family event. The Charles L. McNair Family Foundation maintains this spirit with a major annual donation, joining the Saginaw Art and Enrichment Commission, Delta College, Saginaw Valley State University and Family First Credit Union.
With the expanded funding, we expanded the festival grounds back toward the basketball courts. We now are exploring more changes, with a goal of reducing walk distances and bringing more cohesion among the wide variety of activities and vendors. Anyone with suggestions may contact me at ralmart4@aol.com or (989) 992-9184. Interested volunteers can sign up by filling out our online form.
We also wish to build awareness that we offer cultural activities and awareness beyond the summer spectacular. These include a Kwanzaa celebration, topical films, and an annual 5-K walk and run to share with other worthy causes, including mental health last year.
Yes, it’s still suggested now and then that the Blacks Arts Festival, as some still identify us, should move downtown or to Ojibway Island. For the near future, however, we are sticking with heritage and tradition of sticking with our neighborhood base at Morley. We love our location. Morley School Park is our landmark.
Ralph Martin is president of the Saginaw African Cultural Festival Committee. He is a retired Saginaw Fire Department lieutenant who is closing his career as a state fire marshal, and also a longtime leader of the Saginaw Library Commission.
