---

Saturday’s Universal African Heritage Festival marked the return of a cultural celebration that left the city close to 20 years ago, said founder BiBi Bennett, a special needs educator in the Asbury Park School District.

“This was something I felt needed to come back to the community, especially for the children,” Bennett said. “I find a lot of our children don’t know their history, and you know the science behind that – if they don’t know their history, they don’t know where they are going.”

Hundreds attended the inaugural 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. event, held to encourage cross-cultural communication. It was a showcase of art, music, dance, spoken work performances and featured food, fashion, crafts and local vendors, all with the common thread showcasing the African and African American heritage. 

The event launched the Zamir Ahsaad A. Dunbar Foundation, a nonprofit Bennett created in memorial to her 14-year-old son. It also served as an opportunity to honor the community’s unsung heroes.

The Community Service Award was given to Rosa Lee McNair, known as Sister Isis, the founding organizer of the original cultural celebration. The community organizer, known for her drumming, storytelling and dancing, taught many of the area’s youth drumming from her porch and assembled Circle of Song – beach side drumming group.

Also honored were former cosmetology school owner Beverly Smith and Everlasting, known for providing a platform that showcased the area’s hairstylists, The Boys and Girls Club local Director Isiah Jones, and Asbury Park Police Department’s Tyrone McCallister. From the Asbury Park School District, Principal Reginald Mirthil, Donna Puryear, Jacqueline Tillman, and Kimmy Taylor received accolades.

“I thank you and the thing that really amazed me was that you did not forget about me,” said Smith, who served the community for 66 years. “I thank you, and I appreciated it.”

For organizing community initiatives, those recognized included West Side Citizen’s United Nina Summerlin, summer youth basketball league organizer Frizell Johnson, Mychal Mills and Rodney Salomon of KYDS, the Each One Teach One nonprofit, and The Cazzeeks, a group of men who organized in the 1980s to protect their neighborhood through positive initiatives.

A special recognition was given to seven city children who lost their mothers this past year. Through a partnership with Barack Obama Elementary School each received book bags filled with school supplies. A moment of silence was also held in honor of Zamir.

“There’s no mystery,” Bennett said. “These babies and my elder and those who are in my age bracket, we have to take care of each other. In order to know where we going we have to know where we are going. I see that being lost…and I had to ring the alarm, I had to hit the drum.”

The entertainment lineup included step, Capoeira, and hip hop performances; gospel singers and a special rendition of Scars to Your Beautiful by incoming Asbury Park High School freshman Makayla Serrano; and spoken word performance by La Chocolate Box, Paige Ryans, and from Mills and Salomon. The St Stephen AME Zion Choir closed out the celebration.

The inaugural event’s organizing committee included: Chanta Jackson, Jennifer Conover, Keemah Solomon, Makebah Patris, Valentina Diaz, Donna Puryear, Leticia Dortch, Teretha Jones and Felicia Simmons.

For more about the festival visit their Facebook and Instagram, pages.

————————————————————————————-

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---