TriHealth presents The Black Family Reunion this year with the theme “Proud & Powerful.” This four-day event will take place throughout Cincinnati and in Sawyer Point. Events will include a job fair, breakfast, BFR Speaks, college tour, parade and more.

The Black Family Reunion Celebration (BFR) is set for Aug. 17-20, 2023. The four-day celebration will kick off with the speaker series on Thursday, Aug. 17  followed by the Heritage Breakfast Friday and the parade on Saturday. The celebration will continue in Sawyer Point Park Saturday-Sunday. This year’s BFR Family of the Year is Cincinnati Police Officer Eddie and wife DeAnna Hawkins and family. Steven Reece will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during the kickoff breakfast. This year’s parade Grand Marshal is Ozie Davis III.

Returning this year is a historic tour of Black Cincinnati. A new edition to this year’s celebration is the local college tour. There will be plenty of family entertainment at the park, including local talent, health and wellness activations, free R&B and gospel concerts and more.

“We are bringing BFR back this year with the theme Proud & Powerful. The pride we carry leads us to a place of strength that ignites the power within each of us. With everything our community has experienced and continues to overcome, this theme is a testament to the sense of pride felt within our communities and the power that we have when we stand and work together,” says Tracey Artis, executive director of BFR. 

Cincinnati’s Black Family Reunion event is one of the last- remaining in the country. This year’s events will include:

  • BFR job fair
  • BFR Speaks (ft. Pastor Jamal Bryant)
  • BFR kickoff breakfast (ft. Joe Mallory as keynote speaker)
  • BFR historic tour of Black Cincinnati (sponsored by Metro)
  • BFR college tour
  • BFR lounge
  • BFR parade (w/Ozie Davis III as Grand Marshal)
  • BFR R&B concert (sponsored by Kroger; ft. Kelly Price)
  • BFR gospel concert (sponsored by Kroger; ft. Donald Lawrence)

This year’s sponsors include: TriHealth (presenting sponsor), Fifth Third, P&G, Interact for Health, Cincinnati Bell, Western & Southern, Nissan, UMADAOP of Cincinnati, Inc., JazJordan, Inc., Visit Cincy, Beckman Coulter, Compassion International, Hightowers Petroleum, UC Health, Procter & Gamble, CareSource, Cincinnati Recreation Comission, Duke Energy, AARP, Coca-Cola, Superior Career Fairs, Constellation Insurance, National Council of Negro Women, Community Action Agency, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Kroger, Cincinnati NAACP, Miami University, SORTA/Metro, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter, Health Gap, Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati State, Cincinnati Herald, Walker Funeral Home, Greater Cincinnati Foundation, First Financial Bank, Journey Steel, US Bank, The City of Forest Park, Kappa Alpha Psi, Verizon, LifeCenter and Guardian Savings Bank.

For more information and to see a complete list of events or to become a sponsor, please visit www.myblackfamilyreunion.org or call 513-229-0502.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *