Florida A&M University News March 9, 2016 FAMU Rebirths the Harambee Festival in Tallahassee by Jasmine Nichole Thomas Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) celebrated the end of Black History Month by hosting the Harambee Festival, a community-wide cultural celebration, at Cascades Park. The event featured various musical performances, art, spoken word, poetry, and vendors. WTXL TV, Cumulus Radio, The Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee International Airport, Nature Coast Women's Care, H&R Block, Downtown Improvement Authority, Spectra Engineering, and FAMU's Federal Credit Union sponsored the event. President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., thought the Harambee Festival was the most appropriate way to end Black History Month. "As we near the end of Black History Month, I can think of no better way to celebrate and to recognize the true meaning of our history, than what we have done here and what you will experience all afternoon," she said. Mayor Andrew Gillum, City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, and the City of Tallahassee partnered with the University for the event. Richardson was enthusiastic about the City's involvement in Harambee, one of the many events that took place in Tallahassee during the month of February. "We are excited to be a partner in today's Harambee activities, one of the culminating events of African-American History Month here in the city of Tallahassee," he said. "For this entire month we have showcased events, programs and activities highlighting the accomplishments, contributions, and the rich history and culture of Africans in America or African-Americans here in Tallahassee," Richardson said. Harambee was founded in Tallahassee more than 30 years ago at the Northwood Mall on N. Monroe St. Beverly Barber was on the original planning committee for the festival. It was inspired by her, other FAMU employees, people in the community, and an upset art student. "We were concerned that people did not really have a full understanding of our cultural contributions to this country. So we decided we'd do a festival," she said. Barber attended this year's event with some of the original founders of the original festival and was very happy to see that Harambee had re-emerged. "I was really elated to hear that it has [re-emerged] and I hope to see this grow bigger and better every year and just become an annual event that everybody looks forward to in this city and around the state," Barber said. The theme for this year's festival was "Inspiring Unity in the Community." Charlene Balewa, marketing and advertising specialist for the FAMU Office of Communications, spearheaded the event. She was excited to present the event along with the City of Tallahassee in honor of Black History Month. She was also enthusiastic about the opportunity to educate others on the festival's meaning. "Some may not understand the heritage of our culture, so they have an opportunity to come out and feel, touch, and see our beautiful people. It gives them a lot of confidence about who they are," she said. While this event was to celebrate Black History Month, Balewa explained that it also benefitted the University. "This is an opportunity for us as a university to come out and do some community engagement. I believe this is a way we're going to be able to enhance our student recruitment and student retention as well," she said. Balewa said Harambee is an enjoyable event that children looked forward to every year in the '80s and '90s. One of those children was Tiffany Estimond, the proud owner of Twenty 19 Bakery, who grew up in Tallahassee and attended Harambee as a child. "We used to have Harambee back when I was a little girl, and I would always want to go every year. It used to be at the Civic Center. It was something fun for me to do," Estimond said. "So when I found out they were having it, I said, 'Let me go out and do it.'" Estimond brought her family to the festival to celebrate their culture and help with her business. She thought Harambee, which means "let's pull together," in Swahili, was ideal for teaching her boys how to collaborate. "I get my family involved, my boys and my husband. We thought this was the perfect opportunity for them to learn to work together and manage the business," she said. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-592-4820 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.