Elegba Folklore Society

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO 2021 (SUNDAY)
2021-02-28 15:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Elegba Folklore Society will present the Black Book Expo, Saturday, February 27, 3p – 7p, and Sunday, February 28, 3p – 6p, at the Society’s Cultural Center.

The Black Book Expo will feature a vast display of literature featuring topics including black history, politics, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.

The public is invited to meet authors and browse and buy books to complement personal collections. Celebrity guest authors will make presentations and sign their books. Independent writers will also speak. Saturday evening will feature entertainment, and refreshments will be available.

Follow Elegba Folklore Society on Facebook and Instagram for updates and to enjoy pre-event interviews with selected authors and other surprises.

Strict Covid Protocols.

Elegba Folklore Society Dogwood Dell Juneteenth Performance
2021-06-18 | Dogwood Dell, 6000 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 23220, United States
Be in Elegba Folklore Society’s audience when the amphitheatre at Dogwood Dell re-opens on Friday, June 18! Become a part of this epic performance that acknowledges the history of Juneteenth, African American heritage and Virginia’s newest state holiday. Bring the family and bask in cultural richness under the stars.

Elegba Folklore Society Performing at Henrico’s Juneteenth Celebration
2021-06-19 13:00 - 17:00 | Dorey Park, 2999 Darbytown Rd, Henrico, VA, 23231, United States
Come on out to Dorey Park on Saturday, June 19 for Henrico’s Juneteenth Celebrations, 1p – 5p. Elegba Folklore Society’s performing company takes the stage at 2p

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration - 25th Anniversary
2021-06-27 | African Burial Ground, Broad and 15th Streets, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration June 27, 2021

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration is Virginia’s flagship Juneteenth holiday commemoration. First presented in 1996, it is reflective of Richmond and Virginia’s particular and poignant stories of enslavement and emancipation, and it highlights the resolve and resilience of Africa’s children in America. Richmond is ground zero with regards to the country’s evolution in its racial mores, disparities and hierarchies. Juneteenth 2021, A Freedom Celebration will be a vital part of our community’s reset and healing. Stay tuned for details as we invite you to this 25th Anniversary event where you can engage in performances, healing cyphers, the Get Woke Youth Summit, the Freedom Market, historical perspective and ancestral homage at Richmond’s African Burial Ground. The elders say, “We have to go out the way we came in.” The pathway is being established. Stay tuned for details. Click here to check out an interview regarding Junteenth, A Freedom Celebration on Heritage Radio Network’s “Hot Grease” hosted by Nicole Taylor.
Juneteenth 2021 Details
Purchase Tickets
CONTACT US

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (August)
2021-08-08 12:00 - 17:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Please join Elegba Folklore Society to experience In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, a cultural history tour. Journey into Richmond’s history to visit sites to hear the stories that live between the pages of history books. Ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view. Walk in our ancestors’ footsteps from their arrival point at river’s edge into Shockoe Bottom, the area of Richmond that housed the holding pens, jails, blocks and burial ground. Learn from narratives of enslaved Africans, the historical record and characterizations of the day to immerse yourself in past occurrences that impact our perspectives today.
We will travel by bus and also on foot. Please wear comfortable shoes. Bring a bottle of water. Covid protocols.
This series begins on Saturday, July 10 at noon. Tours occur every second Saturday through November. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under 12.
Questions? story1@efsinc.org or 804.644.3900.

30th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife!
2021-09-12 14:00 - 19:00 | Kanawha Plaza, S 8th & E Canal St, Richmond, VA, Richmond, VA 23219, United States
30th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife September 12, 2021
Choose to sit in the Gold Circle

Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife is a downtown weekend festival that celebrates African American folklife with world music and dance, the Heritage Market, special children’s events, interactive site demonstrations and delicious down home food. It is designed to show aspects of West African cultural traditions that are African American and that have been absorbed by the American South. This is one of the Society’s original programs created in 1990.
30th Annual Down Home Family Reunion Details
2021 Merchandise Vendor Application
2021 Food Vendor Application
2021 Talented Youth Inquiry
30TH DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION SEEKS TO PRESENT TALENTED YOUTH The festival’s Annie Tyler New School Pavilion is a popular haven for our children. Rev. Tyler loved children and worked lovingly with Elegba Folklore Society to create quality cultural experiences for them until her death. May the good she did last forever. Cultural craft making teaches lessons, games ensure fun and the stage showcases talented youth. Please contact us if you are interested in arranging a performance!
2021 Share Your Community Service
SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE AT 30TH DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION If your community-based organization provides a community service you want people to know about, you may want to tell them from a table in the festival’s Waverly Crawley Community Row. Waverly Crawley was a fixture in Richmond’s Historic Jackson Ward, the festival’s location. He constantly encouraged people to get involved in the community to make it better. He wanted people to know that they could make a difference. Please contact us if you are interested in a table. May the good he did last forever.
2021 Small Business Exhibitors
Small Business Owners! You are invited to the 30th Down Home Family Reunion! This Celebration of African American Folklife will happen on Saturday, September 12, 2021, 4p – 11p in Richmond, Virginia!
Contact Us to Join Us in the SmartMart
• Display and tell your story
• Interact with and distribute materials to festival attendees
• Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage!
How You Benefit Fast-track the promotions of your products/services to Richmonders and visitors by distributing product samples and prize drawings. Reinforce your marketing and public relations campaigns by distributing your flyers, discount coupons, business cards, surveys and other promotional materials.
Enhance your product or service image in the Richmond business picture. Be highlighted among your peers and in the community in our covered SmartMart business tent. One table, two chairs and signage will be provided. Demonstrate your commitment to civic/social vitality. Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage. This festival connects aspects of West African traditions with those of African Americans through the ambiance of a family gathering. The festival’s location is Abner Clay Park, located downtown in Historic Jackson Ward.
World music and dance headline the Down Home Family Reunion along with site demonstrations and children’s programs. This event couples history with its contemporary significance. With an expected attendance of 13,000 the festival includes a SmartMart with you in mind. Please contact us if you are interested.
CONTACT US

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (September)
2021-09-25 12:00 - 15:30 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (October)
2021-10-09 12:00 - 15:30 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (November)
2021-11-13 12:00 - 17:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS Holiday Sales Event - December 3rd
2021-12-03 13:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Deck the halls with African art
Fa la la la la
It’s the Real Black Fridays. Visit for discounts & cheer.
Our Home is Your Home. Come, feel the Vibe.
The Real Black Fridays
Give the Gift of Culture
December 3, 10 & 17.
Open Late!
Covid Protocols. Safety First.

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS Holiday Sales Event - December 10th
2021-12-10 13:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS Holiday Sales Event - December 17th
2021-12-17 13:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

Capital City Kwanzaa Festival December 30, 2021
2021-12-30 18:00 - 23:00 | Greater Richmond Convention Center – Exhibit Hall B, 5th & Marshall Streets, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival December 30, 2021
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival December 30, 2021
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival presents performances, workshops, children’s activities, The African Market, food and more observe the year’s-end Kwanzaa holiday, a cultural affirmation of values, thanksgiving and growth. This event is the largest of its kind in Virginia, and therefore, one of the largest on the East Coast. Elegba Folklore Society’s Artistic Director first produced a Kwanzaa program in Richmond in 1986 and the Society first presented its festival in 1990. (Annually during the December Kwanzaa Holiday)

2021 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Covid Protocols
2021 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Details

2022 Black Book Expo, Auth Chats - Stephanie Rose Bird
2022-02-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live
The Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival will showcase a vast display of
literature featuring topics including black history, social justice, science, health, African
Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.
Authors will make presentations and sign their books. Live streaming will occur from the
in-person event as well via the Society’s Facebook page. Books will also be available on
the Society’s website .
Tuesday, February 15, 7p
Stephanie Rose Bird
Stephanie Rose Bird is a visual artist and an author. Her newest book is The Healing Power of African American Spirituality: A Celebration of Ancestor Worship, Herbs and Hoodoo, Ritual and Conjure. It is a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to understand African American spirituality, shamanism, and indigenous spiritual practices and beliefs. A member of the American Botanical Council’s Herb Research Society, American Folklore Society, Society for Shamanic Practitioners, the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (Black Midwives and Healers), The Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetics Guild and the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, Ms. Bird is also a part of the Authors Guild. She is a scholar, graduating from Temple University with honors, and she has been a member of the College Arts Association and the Fulbright Foundation.

2022 Black Book Expo, Auth Chats – J. Plunky Branch
2022-02-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live
The Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival will showcase a vast display of
literature featuring topics including black history, social justice, science, health, African
Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.
Authors will make presentations and sign their books. Live streaming will occur from the
in-person event as well via the Society’s Facebook page. Books will also be available on
the Society’s website .
Wednesday, February 16, 7p
J. Plunky Branch
Saxophonist J. Plunky Branch is an experienced performer, songwriter, producer and musicologist. He has released 30 albums and composed over 450 songs. Juju Jazz Poetics is Plunky’s first volume of poetry. About it he says, “I have taken to blowing my own horn, and maybe I have stetted the boundaries of ego and versatility by assuming to call myself a ‘poet.’ I will let you be the judge.” His autobiography, Plunky: Juju Jazz Funk & Oneness – A Musical Memoir was published in 2015, and he has produced three documentary films, including Under the Radar – A Survey of Afro-Cuban Music shot in Cuba in 2001. In 2018, J. Plunky Branch received the prestigious “50 For 50 Award” from the Virginia Commission for the Arts as one of the 50 outstanding arts persons in Virginia of the last 50 years. In 2015 he was selected as one of the Strong Men & Women in Virginia History by the Library of Virginia.

2022 Black Book Expo, Auth Chats – A. Peter Bailey
2022-02-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live
The Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival will showcase a vast display of
literature featuring topics including black history, social justice, science, health, African
Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.
Authors will make presentations and sign their books. Live streaming will occur from the
in-person event as well via the Society’s Facebook page. Books will also be available on
the Society’s website .
Tuesday, February 22, 7p
A. Peter Bailey
A native son of Tuskegee, Alabama, A. Peter Bailey attended Tuskegee Institute High School and Howard University. His move to Harlem in 1962 changed his life forever. This is where he met Malcolm X or El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, and by 1964 he was a founding member of Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) and an editor of the OAAU newsletter, Blacklash. He has also been an editor at Ebony magazine, and he has contributed articles to Essence and The New York Times. A. Peter Bailey has penned memoirs about Malcolm X and an autobiography of Alvin Ailey. A lifelong “Malcolm-Ite,” his newest title is Brother Malcolm X’s Strategic Guide to Pan Africanism: An Important Guide for People of African Decent. Bailey tells us, “Anyone reading this book will increase their knowledge and guidance from Bro. Malcolm on why Pan Africanism is the best thing for people of African descent throughout the world to promote and protect the interests of African people.”

2022 The Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival
2022-02-26 19:00 - 2022-02-27 19:00 | Rythm Hall – Greater Richmond Convention Center, 600 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
THE BLACK BOOK EXPO, A CONSCIOUS LITERARY FESTIVAL February 26, 3p – 7p, and Sunday, February 27, 3p – 7p

Elegba Folklore Society will present the 2022 Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival February 15 – 27, 2022. This hybrid event opens with Author Chats streaming on Elegba Folklore Society’s Facebook page on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7p, February 15, 16 and 22. Then on Saturday and Sunday, February 26 – 27, 3p – 7p, the 2022 Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary
Festival will continue in Rhythm Hall at the Dominion Energy Center, 600 E Grace St. The in-person aspect of the festival invites the public to browse and buy books, experience live entertainment and meet independent authors.

The Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival will showcase a vast display of literature featuring topics including black history, social justice, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.

Authors will make presentations and sign their books. Live streaming will occur from the in-person event as well via the Society’s Facebook page. Books will also be available on the Society’s website.

Covid protocols include required face coverings, frequent hand sanitizing and social distancing.

The public may follow Elegba Folklore Society on Facebook and Instagram for updates and to enjoy the chats with selected authors. They may also contact the Society at 804.644.3900, mailto:story1@efsinc.org and find more details at www.efsinc.org.

This program is made possible, in part, by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative, the Richmond
Memorial Health Foundation and the City of Richmond.

The Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Conversation: LIVE CHAT SCHEDULE ***Streaming live Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7PM***

02/15 • Stephanie Rose Bird Stephanie Rose Bird is a visual artist and an author. Her
newest book is The Healing Power of African American Spirituality: A Celebration of Ancestor Worship, Herbs and Hoodoo, Ritual and Conjure. It is a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to understand African American spirituality, shamanism, and indigenous spiritual practices and beliefs. A member of the American Botanical Council’s Herb Research Society, American Folklore Society, Society for Shamanic Practitioners, the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (Black Midwives and Healers), The Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetics Guild and the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, Ms. Bird is also a part of the Authors Guild. She is a scholar, graduating from Temple University with honors, and she has been a member of the College Arts Association and the Fulbright Foundation.

02/16 • J. Plunky Branch SaxophonistJ. Plunky Branch is an experienced performer, songwriter, producer and musicologist. He has released 30 albums and composed over 450 songs. Juju Jazz Poetics is Plunky’s first volume of poetry. About it he says, “I have taken to blowing my own horn, and maybe I have stetted the boundaries of ego and versatility by assuming to call myself a ‘poet.’ I will let you be the judge.” His autobiography, Plunky: Juju Jazz Funk & Oneness – A Musical Memoir was published in 2015, and he has produced three documentary films, including Under the Radar – A Survey of Afro-Cuban Music shot in Cuba in 2001. In 2018, J. Plunky Branch received the prestigious “50 For 50 Award” from the Virginia Commission for the Arts as one of the 50 outstanding arts persons in Virginia of the last 50 years. In 2015 he was selected as one of the Strong Men & Women in Virginia History by the Library of Virginia.

02/22 • A Peter Bailey A native son of Tuskegee, Alabama, A. Peter Bailey attended Tuskegee Institute High School and Howard University. His move to Harlem in 1962 changed his life forever. This is where he met Malcolm X or El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, and by 1964 he was a founding member of Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) and an editor of the OAAU newsletter, Blacklash. He has also been an editor at Ebony magazine, and he has contributed articles to Essence and The New York Times. A. Peter Bailey has penned memoirs about Malcolm X and an autobiography of Alvin Ailey. A lifelong “Malcolm-Ite,” his newest title isBrother Malcolm X’s Strategic Guide to Pan Africanism: An Important Guide for People of African Decent. Bailey tells us, “Anyone reading this book will increase their knowledge and guidance from Bro. Malcolm on why Pan Africanism is the best thing for people of African descent throughout the world to promote and protect the interests of African people.”

African American Reflections on the Civil War
2022-04-03 14:00 - 16:00 | American Civil War Museum, 480 Tredegar St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Expect the “Wow” factor as you witness the lives and roles of Africans and Africa’s descendants unfold in this drama that informs and empowers. Music and dance punctuate the stories of the spirit and magic of Africa, conditions of enslavement, resistance, the Black Dispatches, United States Colored Troops, women in support, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.
Come early to get your seat as this rich, true story unfolds — scripted and performed by Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador. Embrace the Spirit!
Comments from the Audience:
“Spectacular! The equivalent of a Broadway theatre reading that should be on the road to sell out audiences everywhere.”
“Very thorough.”
“It was amazing to see how so much information could be presented in 90 minutes. I and my grandchildren were engaged throughout.”
“I am from Hampton, and I had no idea of the Virginia history you shared about the Hampton Roads area.”

“Why do they keep this knowledge from us?”

The Talking Drum
2022-05-02 00:00 | VA
MAY 15
Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 3:30p • Free
428 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard Richmond, VA 23220
The Talking Drum

The drum is a legendary communications tool — a punctuating teller of life as it happens. This lively delivery of African and African American folktales and narratives combine with vocal and instrumental music to engage audiences along a rhythmic journey over continents and through time.
“Absolutely fantastic!”

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (May)
2022-05-14 13:00 - 16:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Please join Elegba Folklore Society to experience In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, a cultural history tour. Journey into Richmond’s history to visit sites to hear the stories that live between the pages of history books. Ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view. Walk in our ancestors’ footsteps from their arrival point at river’s edge into Shockoe Bottom, the area of Richmond that housed the holding pens, jails, blocks and burial ground. Learn from narratives of enslaved Africans, the historical record and characterizations of the day to immerse yourself in past occurrences that impact our perspectives today.
We will travel by bus and also on foot. Please wear comfortable shoes. Bring a bottle of water. Covid protocols.
This series begins on Saturday, May 14 at noon. Tours occur every second Saturday through November. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under 12.

***Check date availability at ticket purchase***

The Talking Drum
2022-05-15 15:30 - 17:00 | Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
The Talking Drum

The drum is a legendary communications tool — a punctuating teller of life as it happens. This lively delivery of African and African American folktales and narratives combine with vocal and instrumental music to engage audiences along a rhythmic journey over continents and through time.

“Absolutely fantastic!”

3rd Saturday Documentaries: Black Girl
2022-05-21 17:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
The 3rd Saturday Documentaries are returning to Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center. Join us on Saturday, May 21 at 5p to view and discuss “Black Girl.” Free.

“Black Girl” is a film made by Ousmane Sembène in 1966 on location post-colonial Dakar, Senegal and Antibes, France. Documenting a true story, the film follows Diouana’s search for employment and what she perceives as a better life in France, Senegal’s colonizer. The film provokes thought about neo-independence, the self-view of African people, liberation and activism. Ousmane Sembène is hailed as the father of African cinema. “Black Girl” is considered the first major film produced by an African filmmaker.

Born in Ziguinchor, a city in the Casamance region of southern Senegal, in 1923, Ousmane Sembène grew up in Senegal when it was a French colony. In his early life, he was a fisherman, bricklayer, plumber and mechanic until he was drafted into the French Army during WW II. Afterwards, he remained in France, became a dock worker and taught himself to read and write in French.

In 1956, he published his first novel, “Le Docker noir,” or “Black Docker,” a memoir. His artistic expression developed with several literary works that drew from his experience of isolation living as an immigrant in France and the challenges of Africans navigating injustices in a post-colonial country. Senegal became independent in 1960, and Sembène soon became a member of the Global Nationalist Liberation Movement. He found film to be a greater vehicle for constituting, as he said, a “consciousness among the masses.”

Inside colonialism and its parallel dehumanization, the colonists’ camera was a tool of “empire.” Films made by Europeans were sent back to colonial centers to paint skewed and violent portraits of African people that justified colonization.

Citing the power of the oral tradition, Sembène says, “I’m not trying to make cinema for my buddies. What I’m interested in is exposing the problems of the people to which I belong. For me cinema is a political action.”

“Black Girl” considers the problem and the tragic need for action.

Don’t miss this.

Look Back. Focus Forward.

African Traditions in Virginia
2022-06-11 11:30 - 14:00 | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 North Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
Celebrate African and African American Art: Global Community Family Day
Saturday, June 11 at 11:30am and again at 2pm.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Be in our audience for African Traditions in Virginia. This dance theatre presentation is about lifestyles, folklore, language, family, spirit and more as told in music, dance and stories. It is a forum for diverse audiences to develop a greater appreciation for heritage. Bringing its notable brand of cultural arts interpretation to VMFA for Family Day, we invite visitors to explore their own lives and family traditions as expressed through art.
“Wow! We laughed and learned in the same moment. Your performers brought us
right into the story.”
📸 @acwmuseum

Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (June)
2022-06-11 19:00 - 22:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration is Virginia’s flagship Juneteenth holiday commemoration, and it attracts visitors from around the state and beyond. It reflects particular and poignant stories of enslavement and emancipation that shaped a nation, while highlighting the resolve and resilience of Africa’s children in America. In its 26th year, attendees can engage in spirit-filled performances, sacred rituals, healing cyphers, the Get Woke Youth Summit, the Freedom Market, historical perspectives and ancestral homage.

Tickets are $5, general admission. Children under 12 come free.

Preliminarily, Elegba Folklore Society will also present the Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans as a part of and pilgrimage introduction to Juneteenth, 2022, A Freedom Celebration on Saturday, June 11 beginning at the Manchester Dock, 1308 Brander Street, at 7:00p. Interpreters will interweave the narratives of enslaved Africans with the historical record, characterizations of the day and music. This program is free and open to the public.

Look back. Focus Forward.
Questions? story1@efsinc.org or 804.644.3900.
To register for “Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans”, click “GET TICKETS” for the In the Beginning, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, then choose “GET TICKETS” for the June 11th date. Once you have done that, you need to select the number of tickets and click “ADD TO CART”. There is no charge for the tickets.

Juneteenth 2022, A Freedom Celebration
2022-06-26 16:00 - 21:00 | African Burial Ground, Broad and 15th Streets, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration June 26, 2022

Special Thanks to:

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration is Virginia’s flagship Juneteenth holiday commemoration. First presented in 1996, it is reflective of Richmond and Virginia’s particular and poignant stories of enslavement and emancipation, and it highlights the resolve and resilience of Africa’s children in America.
Richmond is ground zero with regards to the country’s evolution in its racial mores, disparities and hierarchies. Juneteenth 2022, A Freedom Celebration will be a vital part of our community’s reset and healing.
Stay tuned for details as we invite you to this 25th Anniversary event where you can engage in performances, healing cyphers, the Get Woke Youth Summit, the Freedom Market, historical perspective and ancestral homage at Richmond’s African Burial Ground.
The elders say, “We have to go out the way we came in.” The pathway is being established.
Stay tuned for details.
Click here to check out an interview regarding Junteenth, A Freedom Celebration on Heritage Radio Network’s “Hot Grease” hosted by Nicole Taylor.

Juneteenth 2022 Details
Purchase Tickets
CONTACT US

3rd Saturday Documentaries: Audre Lorde the Berlin Years
2022-07-16 17:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
The 3rd Saturday Documentaries are returning to Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center. Join us on Saturday, July 16th at 5p to view and discuss “Audre Lorde the Berlin Years” Free.
Audre Lorde – the Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 documents Audre Lorde’s influence on the German political and cultural scene during a decade of profound social change, a decade that brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of East and West Germany. This chronicles an untold chapter of Lorde’s life: her empowerment of Afro-German women, as she challenged white women to acknowledge the significance of their white privilege and to deal with difference in constructive ways.

31st Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration African American Folklife
2022-08-20 16:00 - 23:00 | VA
31st Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife August 20, 2022

Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife is a downtown weekend festival that celebrates African American folklife with world music and dance, the Heritage Market, special children’s events, interactive site demonstrations and delicious down home food. It is designed to show aspects of West African cultural traditions that are African American and that have been absorbed by the American South. This is one of the Society’s original programs created in 1990.

31st Annual Down Home Family Reunion Details

2022 Merchandise Vendor Application

2022 Food Vendor Application

2022 Talented Youth Inquiry

31ST DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION SEEKS TO PRESENT TALENTED YOUTH The festival’s Annie Tyler New School Pavilion is a popular haven for our children. Rev. Tyler loved children and worked lovingly with Elegba Folklore Society to create quality cultural experiences for them until her death. May the good she did last forever. Cultural craft making teaches lessons, games ensure fun and the stage showcases talented youth. Please contact us if you are interested in arranging a performance!

2022 Share Your Community Service

SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE AT 31ST DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION If your community-based organization provides a community service you want people to know about, you may want to tell them from a table in the festival’s Waverly Crawley Community Row. Waverly Crawley was a fixture in Richmond’s Historic Jackson Ward, the festival’s location. He constantly encouraged people to get involved in the community to make it better. He wanted people to know that they could make a difference. Please contact us if you are interested in a table. May the good he did last forever.

2022 Small Business Exhibitors

Small Business Owners! You are invited to the 31st Down Home Family Reunion! This Celebration of African American Folklife will happen on Saturday, August 20, 2022, 4p – 11p in Richmond, Virginia!

Contact Us to Join Us in the SmartMart

• Display and tell your story

• Interact with and distribute materials to festival attendees

• Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage!

How You Benefit Fast-track the promotions of your products/services to Richmonders and visitors by distributing product samples and prize drawings. Reinforce your marketing and public relations campaigns by distributing your flyers, discount coupons, business cards, surveys and other promotional materials.

Enhance your product or service image in the Richmond business picture. Be highlighted among your peers and in the community in our covered SmartMart business tent. One table, two chairs and signage will be provided. Demonstrate your commitment to civic/social vitality. Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage. This festival connects aspects of West African traditions with those of African Americans through the ambience of a family gathering. The festival’s location is Abner Clay Park, located downtown in Historic Jackson Ward.

World music and dance headline the Down Home Family Reunion along with site demonstrations and children’s programs. This event couples history with its contemporary significance. With an expected attendance of 13,000 the festival includes a SmartMart with you in mind. Please contact us if you are interested.

Parking

The 30th Down Home Family Reunion is grateful to offer parking for the festival in the lots at Belvidere and Leigh Streets, Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church and the lots across from the church. Signage will help direct patrons to these locations.

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African Diaspora Heritage Month Commemoration
2022-09-10 12:00 - 17:00 | Batten Arts & Letters Building | ODU Campus, 4401 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA, 23529, United States

3rd Saturday Documentaries: "FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN WWI"
2022-10-15 17:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN WWI

Directed by Joanne Burke
USA/FRANCE / 2021 / 54 MIN / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH

SYNOPSIS

Fighting for Respect captures the plight of African American soldiers who fought in WWI, receiving the Croix de Guerre military decoration from France, while still fighting discrimination and hatred at home in America.

3rd Saturday Documentaries: Burkinabè Rising
2022-11-19 17:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Burkinabè Rising: The Art of Resistance
Burkinabè Rising shows how through non-violent resistance in Burkina Faso, a vibrant community of artists and engaged citizens prove that political change that can be achieved when people come together. It is an inspiration, not only to the rest of Africa but also to the rest of the world.
