THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505250489
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CLAUDINE R. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
This year's Af'ram Fest in Norfolk will draw crowds with its usual mix of music, food and art, but will focus on education important to African-American families.
Kicking off this year's festival will be a two-day conference, ``Affirming the African-American Family,'' at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel.
Sociologist Andrew Billingsley of the University of Maryland will discuss solutions to some of the problems hitting many African Americans - AIDS, poverty, unemployment, drugs and violence.
``One of the solutions to our problems is self-help,'' Billingsley said. ``Even though there is unemployment, there are people who work. . . . We could use our dollars and resources to help our own communities.''
People must look at their history and see how African Americans have overcome obstacles, he said. ``We also need to pay attention to some of our values like religion, honoring the elderly and giving importance to raising our children.''
Workshops scheduled after Billingsley's speech will give participants skills to build better futures, says Lankford Blair, a conference co-chairman. The 17 workshops will cover topics such as relationships between men and women, economic development, personal finance and teaching children math.
Also speaking Friday will be Bev Smith, host of Black Entertainment Television's ``Our Voices.''
The conference will conclude on Saturday with a panel discussion, ``Family Issues of the 21st Century,'' but the festival continues through Memorial Day with dozens of vendors, dancers, and musicians performing at Town Point Park.
Afr'am Fest has been extended to four days this year instead of its usual two.
More than 120,000 people are expected to visit this year's festival.
There will be new exhibits like the Children's Village, where youngsters can get their faces painted, play games or watch performances from theatrical youth groups.
Other exhibits include a Liberation Trail with pictures and historical biographies of prominent African Americans, a marketplace, and an area highlighting African-American art.
The entertainment lineup includes rhythm-and-blues recording artists, Force MD's, Christopher Williams and Mikki Howard, on the festival's main stage.
``The conference will help people put entertainment with education,'' spokesman Richard Love said. ``We are showing through an artful way, what we have done and what we are contributing to our community.'' ILLUSTRATION: [List]
Schedule of Events
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