By Andrew Hall
AFRO Intern
ahall@afro.com
For 50 years, AFRAM has served Baltimore by providing a space for families and friends to celebrate their heritage, connect with organizations, access resources and embrace their community. Day Two of the festival’s 2026 celebration in Druid Hill Park offered more of the same – hours of fun, food, music and more.
Vendors and organizations could be found lining the park’s paths, forming a circle around the stage, where performers Chlöe Bailey, SWV, Normani, J Brown, The Lox, The Vibe and Black Assets entertained the audience.
For Jamaal “Black Root” Collier, Day Two of AFRAM was a welcome opportunity to commune with his people.
“I’m glad it’s a breezy day. It feels beautiful,” said Collier. “It’s good to see so many people that look like me walking around. I love Black people. We look good, we smell good, and we’re having an amazing time here at AFRAM. This is where the people are, and I want to be where the people are.”
Festival attendee Kayla Brockington weighed in on the importance of bringing her children to AFRAM.
“I want them to know it’s important to celebrate themselves in a world that constantly tries to put them down–having them go through trials and tribulations,” Brockington said. “I think it’s important for them to celebrate their life and to know that they’re not any less because their skin is a different shade.”
Wayne Jones, who attended Day Two of AFRAM with his three grandsons, echoed Brockington’s sentiment.
“We take pride in African-American heritage. As a lifelong citizen of Baltimore, I’ve watched grow since its inception when I was a young guy,” Jones said. “Now we introduce our grandchildren to it. We just want them to understand and be a part of all that the festival has to offer.”
For small business owners, AFRAM is an opportunity to interact with the community and grow their business. Kay Stephen, founder of So Buttery Skin, recognized the platform AFRAM gives owners like her.
“AFRAM is a platform that gives you an opportunity to meet a whole lot of people from different demographics, so I wanted to be able to showcase our business,” Stephen told the AFRO. “So far, it’s been really good. I met a lot of people, did a lot of good sales, but the opportunity to actually talk to people and educate them on our ingredients, and why we do what we do, was one of the best things.”
Liz Miller, of Liz Miller Productions, also joined the vendor marketplace this year as she has in years past. A second-generation fine artist, Miller creates hair sculptures, sculptural paintings, wearable art, performance art pieces and film.
“Every couple years I come back to AFRAM,” said the Michigan native who has lived in Baltimore for the past 25 years. “It’s such a good time and I meet a lot of people who need and want my artwork, so I keep coming back.”
Not only does AFRAM present a space for fun and entertainment, it also serves as a forum for education. Shanna McClendon, community engagement coordinator for Maryland Physicians Care, expounded on why organizations like hers should attend AFRAM.
“We’re doing giveaways, giving out cooling towels and fans, and sharing information on how you can sign up for free health insurance,” explained McClendon. “A lot of people still don’t have healthcare right now, and they don’t think they can get free health insurance, or that they don’t qualify—and they still can. So we want to let them know what resources they have, and how they can go about using them.”
Emmanuel Utah, originally from Oklahoma, commented on his first AFRAM experience.
“Juneteenth weekend, I definitely want to be around people,” he said. “I’m out here from Oklahoma, so just being around people who look like me, great space, good music, good people, it’s definitely a vibe.”
April Bouyer, who’s been attending AFRAM for five years, spoke to the festival’s feeling of community.
“I like to be around Black people that are doing positive things. They have a lot of really nice vendors – a lot of independent people who are putting out their products, and that’s really nice,” Bouyer said. “It’s important because there’s always a lot of negativity, especially in the Baltimore area. So, I think it’s really important to show that we can still come together and do something positive. There’s people who might not live in this community who can come to see a nice thing going on. They have good artists, good food, and I think it’s really important.”
Sponsors for AFRAM include Amazon Music, Baltimore Civic Fund, CBS News Baltimore, Carefirst, BGE, Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, Maryland Physicians Care, Bent Wine Co, Edmond’s Honor, the AFRO, Bank of America, DTLR, Coca-Cola Consolidated, University of Maryland Medical System, ICON, Amber and Opal, Maryland Cannabis Administration and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.
AFRO writer DaQuan Lawrence, PhD, contributed to this article.
