Getting ready for the 2002 reunion season - family get together - Brief Article

Ebony, June, 2002

SUMMER has arrived. And with those precious few months come a vital Black family tradition that stretches back several generations--the Black Family Reunion.

Honoring the Black family comes to the forefront during the time from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the most popular times to hold family reunions. Families all across America are already making travel plans and putting on the finishing touches for their reunions--the focus of which is to honor their Black family heritage and celebrate their family history.

Three families have shared their reunion plans with EBONY--the history of their annual reunions, what they plan to do and the meaning behind their get-togethers.

One such gathering is the Robinson-Westbrooks Reunion, which is celebrating its 93rd reunion this summer. Started in 1910 as a birthday party for John Bolin Robinson, Dara Ann Westbrooks Robinson and their son Leonard Wilbert Robinson--all of whom were born on August 16--the family will hold its reunion in Las Vegas beginning on ... you guessed it, August 16, says Ann Westbrooks of Los Angeles, a member of the planning committee.

Roughly 150 participants are expected to gather during that weekend for family, fun and fellowship.

"We're dedicating this to our young people," Westbrooks says. "Because we've been going for 93 years, we need to keep them concerned, happy and interested. We want them to continue with the reunion."

The family reunion's base is a hotel/casino with an amusement park, so there's a bit of something for everyone. The opening night, Friday, will be a welcome night for family members to arrive, register, mix and mingle. The family will also award scholarships and hold a raffle.

Saturday activities will include some free time for participants before the big banquet, which will feature a guest speaker, awards and talent show. Sunday morning will bring a champagne brunch and a family meeting, during which the participants will discuss and make initial plans for next year's reunion.

Another Black Family Celebration will take place in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove. The Wesley-Blakely Family Reunion, which has the theme "God Has Made Room for Us to Succeed," is scheduled for Father's Day weekend, says Dr. Roland Wesley of Bolingbrook, Ill.

The reunions started many years ago, lapsed for a period of years and then re-started in the 1970s, says Wesley, who has a combined Ph.D. in social work, psychology and education.

"I decided to revive the family reunion to really showcase the fathers and men involved in our family," he says. "This year, we're expecting well over 200 people from across the country."

Typical of most reunions, the Wesley-Blakely family will learn a lot more about their family, whose roots are in Mississippi. The older men will talk about the family reunion tradition and give a presentation on the history of the family.

During the Sunday brunch, the younger men will speak about what the reunion has meant to them. The youth participation and history lesson are an effort to keep the young people involved and let them know that succeed at anything.

The family will also discuss next year's reunion, which will be held in Toledo. Planning for the following year always begins immediately after the current reunion, says.

Another reunion, with more of a Southern flavor, will be held in Atlanta this summer when the Jeffries family's Atlanta Connection hosts its annual event. The importance of the reunion, say family members, is to provide a time to celebrate, stay connected and carry the family into the future. Also started as a birthday celebration for a family patriarch, Ernest Jeffries, the family has been getting together each summer for decades.

The reunion, held this year, beginning August 30, will be attended by 150-175 participants, says Venetia Coleman, a key planning committee member. About 14 committee members have been involved in planning for the Atlanta reunion. Those plans have included various fund-raisers, such as selling candy, a fashion show and talent show--all before the actual reunion event.

The Jeffries reunion itinerary includes a poolside welcome reception at its hotel, a day of sightseeing in Atlanta, with a trip to the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Zoo Atlanta and Centennial Olympic Park. It also includes a buffet banquet on Saturday evening, a barbecue in a park reserved for Sunday and a farewell breakfast on Monday.

"Every year, we always set aside something for our children," says Coleman, echoing an idea expressed by many families. "We want them to know how important it is for our family to carry this on."

These are just three of the tens of thousands of Black families from coast to coast who are getting ready for the 2002 reunion season, making last-minute arrangements and putting on the finishing touches--those little details that make a reunion complete.

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