Africatown's Reunion on Union Event Postponed to July 30

by Lauryn Bray

Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) will host Reunion on Union, a community dinner and block party on the corner of 23rd and Union, from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 30, to celebrate the rich community history of Seattle's Central District and its legacy as a Black cultural hub.

ACLT extends an invitation to this event full of food, music, kinship, and culture to anyone looking to connect with Seattle's historically Black neighborhood and "contribute to a vision for an even stronger, thriving community for years to come."

The annual Reunion on Union has become a summer staple for many Black Seattle residents. Originally scheduled for July 15, the block party potluck will wrap up ACLT's Summer of Soul, a series of events dedicated to celebrating culture, history, and community within the Central District. With the event being free and family friendly, ACLT hopes to attract people of all ages to partake in the festivities.

The Reunion on Union originally began as a community potluck to conclude ACLT's Imagine Africatown Design Weekend in July 2018. At the time, the gentrification of 23rd and Union had become a symbol of the seemingly inevitable future of the Central District.

The Imagine Africatown Design Weekend hosted five design ciphers — community design sessions in which Central District stakeholders came together to produce "models and actionable tools to develop the community they wished to see," according to a recent ACLT press release announcing the event.

Now, half a decade later, Reunion on Union has blossomed into an annual celebration of the solutions born out of a collective effort to effectively resist the withering away of Seattle's only historically Black neighborhood. The event has become a symbol of resilience, innovation, and joy.

There will be musical performances, Black-owned businesses and vendors, and, of course, food. The event will take place at the intersection of 23rd Ave. & E. Union St. from 4 to 8 p.m. on July 30.

If you are interested in attending ACLT's Reunion on Union event, you can RSVP here.

📸 Featured Image: Hundreds of current and former Central District families, many forced to leave due to gentrification, gathered on Saturday, July 17, 2021, for the Second Annual Reunion on Union Community Dinner and Block Party. (Photo: Susan Fried)