Annual Tarrant County Harambee Festival Goes Virtual

The 11^th Annual Tarrant County Harambee Festival will go on virtually this year. Harambee is Swahili for "all pull together." The Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society usually presents the festival in the historic Southside Evans Ave. Plaza in Fort Worth.

This year, it will look a lot different. All the live entertainment, the health fair, and most of the traditional events will be done virtually, with the theme, “Healing in the Community.”

Festival organizers are encouraging everyone to log on from home and enjoy a weekend of togetherness.

“It is more important this year than ever in light of all the things that’s going on. We need to Harambee. Harambee means all come together. It’s Swahili. And that’s exactly what we need to do, we need to come together in unity to spread some love around,” said Harambee Festival Founder, Deborah Lewis.

“The desire was to create as phenomenal of energy and a spirit of Harambee virtually as we have 10 years, live, and so that’s what we set out to do,” said Sheran Goodspeed Keyton, Harambee Festival Dir. of Entertainment. “And the only thing that we were not able to recreate is being able to walk up to a food truck and get a BBQ sandwich. Other than that, you name it, it’s there.”

The 11^th Annual Tarrant County Harambee Festival kicks off Friday, Oct. 2 with virtual seafood, chicken and blues night, and a pick-up pack on Saturday, Oct. 3.

It’s going to be a packed weekend.

Seafood Chicken and Blues Night will encourage everyone to prepare their favorite seafood and/or chicken dishes, order delivery or take-out. The line-up includes a brief history of the Blues, followed by the Joe Rogers Trio featuring Sheran Goodspeed Keyton and the grand finale will be Tatum Jackson Blues Band.

Saturday kicks off at 9:00 with a car show featuring the Corvette Club and the Tate Family Mustangs followed by an Opening Ceremony with greeting from Congressman Marc Veasy, Mayor Betsy Price and other elected officials; NBC 5 Today Anchor Evan Anderson will host the car show and parade.

Anti-Bullying/Anti-Violence Rally will feature students’ performances from Fort Worth and Crowley ISDs; along with Amon Carter Museum.

Virtual Health and Wellness Fair will be presented on Zoom.

Nationally acclaimed Poet Michael Guinn will host a poetry slam featuring 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd prize winners from a contest done over the summer.

Journalist Bob Ray Sanders will host a panel discussion on the theme, “Healing in the Community.” Panelists will be asked to share their thoughts on the effects that the pandemic and systematic social injustices have had on our country, and what they feel it will take for our communities to move toward “Healing in the Community.”