African American Community in the United States hold different cultural events yearly
The African American Community in the United States hold different cultural events yearly. In this case, one of such events is the Harambee Festival held in Dallas, Texas. The Swahili word Harambee has its origin in East Africa meaning unity or “let’s pull together.” Notably, the community-based cultural as well as educational event attracted over 15,000 in attendance at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center with volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and performers included (Brown, 2016). In my inquiry of its creation, it was founded by like-minded citizens as they sort a substitute for Halloween in the early 1970s. The event was from the time arranged to be celebrated in the month of October each year. The Harambee Festival is full of positive activities and beautiful experiences for the adults, youth as well as the children. Besides that, a particular period is set aside to honor and recognize community heroes.
The Harambee Festival is important to the African Americans since it brings out the expression of unity in the community. In celebration of the black culture, there is entertainment involving approximately 30 groups as well as individuals both local and international (Tate, 2017). Moreover, each kid is given a Treat Bag during the event as their parents are treated with health screenings. Besides that, there is plenty of games and contests for both the children and adults as they dance to the drumming of African American music. In the midst of the Harambee Festival celebration, the attendants not only receive giveaways but also get to taste the sweet African community food from the various vendors. The climax of the cultural event is the release of the memorial balloon. Mainly, the memorial balloon is a sign of honor to the fallen soldiers, community heroes, first responders as well as loved ones.
In my attendance of the Harambee Festival, there are a lot of lessons to take home. The main objective of the cultural event is to come together as well as enjoy the cultural experience of the African Americans in the United States. Therefore, unity is an essential aspect for every individual and state. In celebration of each other’s culture, we get to learn their existence hence leaving no room for detestation. For instance, the festival also fundraises for the Black Historical and Genealogical Society in order to find and collect the African American historical contributions (Coon, 2017). Moreover, with the help of the funds, the organization is enabled to educate as well as empower the Africans in America regarding their heritage. Therefore, the main lesson derived from the festival is being active advocates of cultural conservation in our respective states.
In summary, the Harambee Festival has contributed to a better understanding of the African American community. Notably, the community is friendly with a vast set of positive activities to show case starting from their love for hip-hop, gospel, jazz, spoken word, African dance performances, drumming as well as storytelling. Furthermore, they display their beautiful paintings and variety of foods in the African Marketplace hence appreciating them better. Moreover, the festival is important in preserving the African American culture as well as honoring their heroes. In addition, the young children will become better members of the community since they understand their heritage. Therefore, the Harambee Festival has created one of the greatest cultural legacies in the city of Dallas and for the future generations.