The mission of the Black Cultural Festival is to cultivate a healthy and connected Black community in Eugene and beyond by creating welcoming spaces that attract Black people, while also centering and celebrating our culture.

The goals of the Black Cultural Festival are:

• To hold an annual event.
• To direct marketing and outreach to only the Black Community.
• That 90% of folks attending are Black people; family and friends of all races are welcome to attend.
• To highlight our culture with food, entertainment, and speakers.
• To create an educational space of our local cultural history.
• To build strong networks in the Black community.
• To feature Black-owned businesses and other professional organizations that serve Black people.

The vision of the Black Cultural Festival is:

• To provide a seed for the creation of a healthy and cohesive local Black community.
• To create a space of healing, inclusion and belonging for Black folks.
• To aid in the formation of healthy Black identity in children and adults.
• To engage grassroots activists and change-makers.
• To inspire creativity and participation in the arts.
• To support the development and growth of businesses and entrepreneurship.
• To increase retention of Black individuals in our local community.

Event producer Talicia Brown-Crowell has lived in the Eugene area since 2000. While growing her Black woman-owned business and creating a family, she became very connected to the festival culture for which Oregon is nationally recognized, including the Oregon Country Fair, Beloved Festival, Willamette Valley Folk Festival, and String Cheese Incident — all of which celebrate community.

Talicia enjoyed these festivals with wild abandon, but that easeful play eroded as she began to see how white these festivals were — there was no diversity. These were places white people could feel comfortable, but not her own people.

Talicia Brown-Crowell grew up in San Jose, California. In 1992, Talicia came to Oregon to attend Reed College in Portland, then moved to Eugene in 2000. For 20 years, Talicia has worked in public health, staffed rites-of-passage for Black folks in Memphis and built her successful Black-owned business, Harmony Massage, in Eugene. Her work is inspired by the mentorship of two dearly beloved people in her life. Her best friend of 17 years, Bob Dritz, was the clinic coordinator of White Bird Clinic in Eugene for 25 years and the founder of CAHOOTS. Sobonfu Somé, Talicia’s spiritual teacher for 8 years, is known as the world’s foremost authority in African spirituality. After years of attending predominately white music festivals, then getting to experience Black-centered cultural spaces and Brown family reunions in Gurdon, Arkansas, Talicia developed a deep desire to create safe and connected events that center around Blackness. The question she continually asks herself is: “What would a cultural festival look like today, in this place, that centers Black people, and is for us, by us?” The Black Cultural Festival is her answer to that question.

“When I dare to be powerful–to use my strength in the service of my vision–then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ~Audre Lorde

NYAH ROSS

Ana Elizabeth is an event producer and production specialist. Ana was captivated by arts and culture as a child, and her love of arts and culture has led to countless community collaborations resulting in highly anticipated annual events. Past productions include the Calabash Awards, Cabrillo Stage, The 418 Project, Santa Cruz Ethnic Arts Network, Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, Center for Sacred Studies, Santa Cruz Juneteenth, Beloved, Afribbean Festival, Second Harvest Food Bank, City of Santa Cruz, NAACP, UCSC special events and the Mississippi John Hurt Festival with Taj Mahal. Currently, Ana is a senior partner at SureThing Productions, Artist Relations Manager of the California Roots Festival, co-producer/program director of Santa Cruz Juneteenth and a board member and chair of the Equity Council of the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County in California.

We are so grateful that the Black Cultural Festival is supported by a community of individuals and professionals! Get to know our advisory committee.

Black Scholar | Author | Public Speaker | Community Activist

H.O.N.E.Y. Nonprofit Fiscal Sponsor

Black Scholar | Professor

Lane Community College Faculty | Black Student Union Advisor

Youth Zone Co-Coordinator | Churchill High School History Teacher | City Of Eugene

MC | Black Scholar | Black Girl From Eugene Podcast

Former President Eugene Springfield NAACP

American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) | Owner & Financial Planner Reign Wealth Logic

Youth Zone Co-Coordinator | Disabilities Advocacy

Black Scholar

Chair Eugene Police Commission | Vice President Oregon Alliance of Black Businesses

Vendor Services Coordinator | Real Estate Broker | Owner We Reign Parties

President Oregon Alliance of Black Businesses | State Commissioner Oregon Commission on Black Affairs | Radio Personality | MC | Philanthropist

Bookkeeper Armitage Solutions | Executive Director MEEPA, Grrrlz Rock & Kids Rock

Siobhan Solutions

Volunteer Coordinator

Box Office Manager

Sponsorship Coordinator & Museum Without Walls Curator