Ann Arbor community members gathered in downtown Ann Arbor for the 26th Ann Arbor African American Festival Saturday morning. The festival, held at North Fourth Avenue and East Ann Street, featured an extensive line-up of Black-owned shops, restaurants and community organizations.
First organized by Lucille Hall Porter, founder and director of the Community Leaning Post, this annual event remembers the legacy of business and community in the Historical Black Business District that stretched along Ann Street from the 1940s to the 1960s.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, event organizer Teesha Montague said the festival aims to honor the history of Black businesses in Ann Arbor while also welcoming visitors from diverse backgrounds to enjoy the event.
“Back in the ’50s and ’60s, there was a thriving African American community that was called West Side,” Montague said. “At this time, we are collaborating with different agencies together to bring in some really diverse people and cultures together for a beautiful day.”
Montague highlighted the community effort to document the memory of the Black neighborhood that was disrupted by decades of gentrification.
“African American Cultural and Historical Museum, and the Ann Arbor District Library are putting together a pamphlet that talks about the businesses and the community center that used to exist here,” Montague said. “We hope people could walk this guided tour and feel that historical energy.”
Saturday’s vendors included a variety of Black-owned food trucks, boutiques and artisan businesses. Valancio Bailey, owner and chef of the Jamaican Spice food truck, told The Daily he learned to cook from his family and time spent working at the Jamaican Jerk Pit. He said while he aspires to open his own brick-and-mortar storefront one day, the current food truck gives him the flexibility to participate in different events and serve a variety of customers.
“I started with catering and pop-ups,” Bailey said. “Now with the food truck, I can go to different places and meet different people.”
The festival also included Black-owned businesses from across the state. Lee Bowen, owner of Romulus-based candle company Sister Scents MI, told The Daily her business was born out of the candle-making hobby she shares with her niece. Bowen said after her mom died, she and her relatives set up the business in her father’s home as a form of family bonding.
“During the pandemic, me and my niece…were looking for candles, and we noticed that Bath and Bodyworks was closed and (decided to) make our own,” Bowen said. “After our mother passed at the beginning of the pandemic, we really noticed this dimension to do business close to our family.”
Montague said the event was made possible by community members who volunteer their time on top of their daytime jobs. Aaron Jiggaletti, an Ypsilanti-based designer, told The Daily he helped design the flyers and spread the word about the festival. Jiggaletti said he believed the festival worked to create a welcoming environment for all attendees.
“I love that the culture can come together and express themselves freely and just have a good time without being harassed,” Jiggaletti said.
Daily Staff Reporter Chen Lyu can be reached at lyuch@umich.edu
