The old timers, who had moved to Seattle before and during World War II for work, quickly organized a picnic that was held at Seward Park and around 300 people showed up, according to a history of the organization.
The annual picnics drew as many as 1,000 people from all over the country, but a ROOTS steering committee failed to stage the event in both 1999 and 2000. "The old people were in charge of it," explained Paul Mitchell from the Breakfast Group.
"We had to step in to take charge," he said of the Breakfast Group, which is made up of professional black men who meet once a month and mentor young at-risk African American youths who are "the toughest of the tough."
Joining in the effort was the Northwest Black Pioneers, which first settled the region in the 1800s, according to Dr. Robert Gary, PhD., another of the ROOTS organizers this year.
Once WW II wound down, the African-American families who moved to the area stayed because they'd established roots in the community, he said. But because of racial prejudice and real estate "red-lining," black families were isolated in small groups and families were separated, Gary said. "And transportation was an issue."
That led to barriers to connections among area African Americans, and they needed to get together periodically to celebrate and reconstitute themselves, he said. "And it was done in a lot of different ways," according to Gary, whom mentioned the Masons and black fraternities and sororities as examples.
But there was also a need to acknowledge the history of Africans in the Northwest and to develop a support system for generations to come, he said of another reason behind the original ROOTS picnics.
The picnics also honor role models who have made an impact "not only in the black community but also the whole community," Mitchell said. This year's honorees include, he said, Dr. Gladys Jennings, the first African-American woman to receive an advanced degree from Washington State University, politician Vivian Caver and the Rev. Pat Wright.
Another prominent role model this year is presidential candidate Barack Obama, who can provide black youth a sense of pride and honor, Mitchell said. Gary was less sanguine. "I look at it for what it really is," he said. "Knowing the system, you're limited in what you can do as an individual."
The ROOTS organization has a similar goal to the Mitchell's Breakfast Group: to foster respect between the older and younger generation, which too often sees their elders as simply authoritarian, he said. Closing the generation gap is critical, according to Mitchell. "Kids nowadays don't think anyone cares about them."
Another issue facing the African-American community is absentee fathers, Gary conceded. "It's been an issue from day one." But ROOTS organizers encourage complete families to come together at the picnic, Mitchell stressed.
"We do outreach through mailings," Gary said of critical efforts to bring families together. "A lot of fathers, a lot of mothers come back," he added.
There have been six allegedly gang-related shootings this year in Seattle, but Mitchell doesn't see a problem with gang-bangers showing up at the picnic. "I'm sure they show up, but they're not disruptive," he said.
They blend into the crowd, instead, said Mitchell, who added that the Black on Black Crime Coalition is on the organizing committee for the picnic. Seattle Parks and Recreation is also a sponsor of the event, and the agency will provide equipment for volleyball games and flag football, he said of alternative activities.
Bands will also been on hand, for the picnic, which takes place in Gas Works Park between 10 .m. and 6 p.m. next Sunday, no alcohol is allowed and donations are tax-deductible.
"It's not limited to just African-Americans," Gary said of the gathering. "It's for the whole community." And that makes sense. The Northwest Black Pioneers found out a big percentage of pioneers were mixed-race," he said. "This (picnic) provides an opportunity to bridge that gap."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or 461-1309.[[In-content Ad]]