The End of an Era as Roots Family Picnic Elders Pass the Torch to the Breakfast Group

by Lauryn Bray

The 52nd annual ROOTS Family Picnic was held in Jimi Hendrix Park on Sunday, Sept. 1. The celebration was in full swing from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m as Black Washingtonians gathered together under the sun to celebrate the passage of time with food, music, and live performances.

ROOTS stands for "Relatives of Old Timers of Seattle," and refers to the descendants of a group of Black Washingtonians who resided in the state prior to 1940. The name was coined by Arline Yarbrough during the first picnic, which was held at Seward Park in 1972 and was organized by Arline and her husband, Letcher Yarbrough, along with eight other couples. Since then, friends, family members, and descendants of the original picnic attendees have gathered together for a reunion every year.

As music played and performers from Northwest Tap Connection graced the stage, picnic attendees were invited to visit tables and tents to hear about organizations, like MLK Coalition, the Center for MultiCultural Health, A Century of Hope, and Dementia Action Collaborative. One table sold ROOTS-themed merchandise, like the ROOTS recipe book and T-shirts that read, "Seattle ROOTS Picnic 1972 – 2024 The End of An Era."

One table offered lunch to seniors attending without family, while food for everyone else was available to purchase from the Soul Fusion food truck. The Northwest African American Museum, which sits on the park's grounds, also opened its doors to the public free of charge in honor of the picnic. Members of Seattle's Classic Swagger Car Club also came and parked their cars to display for picnic attendees.

An award ceremony was also held to honor people, like Joshua Johnson for his work as vice president of NAACP for Seattle/King County; Elmer and Aaron Dixon of the Black Panther Party's Seattle chapter for their activism; and Paul Mitchell for his unwavering commitment to ROOTS. The ROOTS Planning Committee was also honored for its decades-long contribution to making the picnic possible.

"In 1972 is when ROOTS started, and it was designed to bring the families that have been dispersed out of the [Central District] back home," said Karrington Ogans, co-chair of the ROOTS Planning Committee, during the ceremony. "That's been the heart of what ROOTS is — come back home to grandma's house and have a good time, eat good food, and just all be together in this world where gentrification separates us and different things in life pull us apart."

This year's event marked the end of an era for the elders of Seattle's historic Black community, who have been organizing the picnic for over 50 years. The ROOTS Planning Committee will pass the responsibility of planning the picnic to volunteers with The Breakfast Group, a nonprofit organization that connects Black male professionals with at-risk youth.

"The Breakfast Group is going to take it over and run it next year," said Mitchell in an interview with the Emerald during the picnic. "It'll be the same name — all we're doing is changing the people who set it up and take it down."

For the last 23 years, The Breakfast Group has been involved in planning and coordinating the ROOTS picnic. Mitchell, who is the vice chairman of ROOTS, is also the director and co-founder of The Breakfast Group.

In 1999 and 2000, when the original ROOTS Planning Committee was unable to sponsor the picnic due to logistical challenges, the Northwest Black Pioneers and The Breakfast Group stepped in to continue the tradition. The following year, Mitchell, along with Bob Gary and Ernie Dunston, assumed full responsibility for planning the ROOTS picnic.

According to Mitchell, organizers with The Breakfast Group have already picked up the ROOTS picnic torch. "They came today," said Mitchell. "They helped set it up and they're gonna help take it down."

Featured Image: The Throwbacks, an over-50 dance group, perform at the 2024 ROOTS Family Celebration on Sept. 1 at Jimi Hendrix Park. (Photo: Susan Fried)