This past July 25th 2015, the organizing committee of the NCC/Royal Arthur Reunion held their 5th annual picnic in Angrignon Park. As early as 7:00 a.m., volunteers, organizing members and the Standing on Their Shoulders team were preparing for the crowd of hundreds.
The purpose of this annual reunion picnic, is, and has been, to reunite all who had attended Royal Arthur School and the Negro Community Center in Little Burgundy. This year was special as the NCC is now just a memory, an empty lot; the building stands no more…
Standing on Their Shoulders had the very exciting opportunity to set up a story-telling tent, where the picnic goers shared their stories with our researcher, Kai Thomas. We were fortunate to have so many people share their memories about Little Burgundy. The tent served as a means to collect and corroborate facts for our youth videos yet it was also a place for people to reminisce. There were many emotional moments. It was great to see people laughing and some even shed a tear. Unfortunately, time being short, and stories plentiful, we did not have the opportunity to speak with as many people as we had hoped. It was wonderful to see the interest, as they waited patiently for their turn to speak with Kai.
The space in Angrignon Park that was allocated to this event filled up by early afternoon. Food was in abundance, music played, people danced, and smiles were everywhere…Joy filled the air. The atmosphere was simply amazing! The Standing on Their Shoulders team was grateful for the opportunity to witness such an outpouring of love and appreciation of a community that has grown together and is ‘Standing Strong in Spirit’.
A special thanks to our volunteers and to all those who supported the picnic by purchasing our t-shirts, which will help us defray unexpected costs and keep the machinery going.
Photo Credit: Ozgur Mulazimoglu