Umoja Unity Festival: Downtown Johnson City
Staff reports
Johnson City, TN – Mark your calendar for August 13-14, 2010,
when downtown Johnson City plays host to the annual UMOJA (Unity)
festival.
This year’s festival includes a second stage, a children’s
carnival (Friday afternoon and Saturday), car show, food and craft
vendors, storytellers, health screening, Gray Fossil site exhibit, and
more! For more details and information, visit the festival website at www.umojajc.org.
The SOS Band performs in Johnson City, Tennessee on Saturday, August 14.
With an annual attendance of more than 55,000 people, the Umoja Festival attracts festival-goers from Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia, and other regions to celebrate African American culture, diversity, and the acceptance of other ethnicities. “The word Umoja means “unity” in Swahili, and that’s exactly what this festival is about.
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| The American Quartet Photo: Paul Braxton |
The festival began in 1978 as a yearly Unity Picnic and gathering of community members. Members of the local NAACP, Concerned Citizens Group, Herb Greenlee of Carver Recreation Center, and other community residents all played a part in establishing what would become an important local tradition. Initially, the event was held around August 8 of each year, with participants providing covered dishes of food, games, and lots of fun.
Then, after several years and for unknown reasons, the picnic stopped being organized. In 1997, the previous founders decided to breathe new life into the community with the Umoja Unity Festival with the continuing purpose of breaking down the walls of race, age, culture — and faith prejudice.
The Umoja Festival tradition opens with a grand event that features “a call of the drums,” along with Shaka Zulu, the African stilt walker, dance, and storytelling, and throughout the festival visitors can enjoy a children’s carnival, more entertainment and dancing, and craft and food vendors. The Umoja festival also features church services presented by local religious establishments and choir groups, as well as free health screenings with Mountain States Health Alliance and the Regional Health Center.
Storytelling also continues throughout the festival, as one of the central aspects of its focus on both unity and diversity. While Umoja reflects African American culture, the festival also brings in different cultures.
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| MC Lightfoot |
Past events have included such well-known storytelling groups such as “Tribes and Bridges,” whose members share stories about social forces and pressures as well as personal battles with racism and diversity. Tribes and Bridges storytellers include an Irish American, Cuban American and African American. Their primary goal—to help people understand other cultures, races, and traditions in order to reduce violence with knowledge—is also instilled through the school systems of the Johnson City region.
For more information about the Umoja Festival, please visit www.umojajc.com
About Johnson City
Johnson City, located in northeast Tennessee, is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state. Set in a region known as America’s First Frontier, Johnson City is “Where the Pioneer Spirit Began”— a historically significant and culturally rich community surrounded by an abundance of unspoiled natural beauty. Johnson City’s 200-year history and its diverse culture embrace individual creativity and encourage innovation.
Schedule of Events
Friday, August 13, 2010
Children’s Carnival 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Main Stage
Opening Ceremony 3:00 p.m.
Call to Drums with Rev. Vincent Dial and Zulu Connection
Amythayst Phillips 3:30 p.m.
Xavier (comedy) 4:30 p.m.
Bag of Cats 5:30 p.m.
The Brothers Boys 6:30 p.m.
Unlimited 7:30 p.m.
MC Lightfoot 8:30 p.m.
Plunky and Oneness 9:30 p.m.
Stage 2
Zulu Connection 3:30 p.m.
Storytelling 4:30 p.m.
Zulu Connection 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Parade starting at Carver Recreation Center 10:00 a.m.
Children’s Carnival 4:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Water Wars
Health Fair (NE TN Minority
Resource Network) 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Corn Hole Contest 2:00 p.m. – until
Main Stage
Gospel Fest 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Stoney Creek Cloggers 4:00 p.m.
Frito Puente 4:45 p.m.
Blue Jackson 5:45 p.m.
4.0 6:45 p.m.
MC Lightfoot 7:45 p.m.
SOS Band 9:00 p.m.
Stage 2
Mariachi Band 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Storytelling 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Rhythm on the Ridge 3:00 p.m.
Zulu Connection with Kuumba Watoto Dancers & Drummers – Walk 3:30 p.m.
Workshop at Hands-On with Shaka Zulu & Kuumba Dancers 4:00 p.m.
DnoRRi 5:00 p.m.
Zulu Connection 7:00 p.m.
