The annual gathering was organized by Boston While Black, a membership organization for Black professionals and students that was established in 2020. This year’s gathering was the first since President Trump returned to the White House and set about dismantling policies and programs addressing systemic racial inequities.

Some of the efforts had been implemented with urgency following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, and were embraced by the private sector and government. But as the Trump administration dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal bureaucracy, some in the private sector have also abandoned those efforts because they fear possible legal scrutiny and regulatory backlash from the White House.

The sea of change has also touched Boston While Black, said Sheena Collier, the group’s founder. The group lost about $500,000 in funding this year as many corporate and institutional partners disappeared, she said. The group turned to small businesses for help, and more than 40 made contributions that helped to pay for the family reunion, Collier said.

“If you do want this type of joy…it needs to be invested in,” she said.

She convened the first family reunion in 2021, drawing about 3,000 people to the Seaport. The event has steadily grown, and this year the festivities were divided between two Seaport locations, the Lawn on D, next to the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center, and Harbor Way, a pedestrian area on the waterfront.

Up to 25,000 were expected to cycle through the reunion on Saturday, and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll toured the festivities with Collier.

Family reunions are a vital part of Black culture borne of the legacy of slavery, which divided kin, Collier said.

“There was just this structure put into place to make sure you could find your family members and people would come back to that,” she said.

Collier said the gathering has helped people of color develop a sense of belonging in the Seaport. The event featured food trucks, music, dancing, and games.

“In the past, people didn’t feel like they were welcome, so the fact that people anticipate coming here every summer is huge,” Collier said.

Several people at the gathering spoke about the Trump administration’s policies impact on their lives, saying they are bracing for changes coming to housing assistance and food stamps under the “Big Beautiful Bill.” The legislation made cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, and reduced funding for housing vouchers for low-income renters.

“It’s definitely worrisome,” said Tashima Pitts, a home health aide and mother. “I’m hoping it works out for the people who need it.”

Laurlene Hardy, a retiree who grew up in Boston, said many people are losing their jobs. She talked about a woman who staffed a table at the Salvation Army Boston Kroc Center with educational materials about resources for older people.

“I didn’t see her for a while recently, and I heard that because of Trump, the program was cut, so she’s no longer there,” Hardy said. “I’m just praying and hoping that even with the cuts, the community and the people in general…can come together.”

William Simmons, 38, said he was attending the reunion for the first time. He said he grew up in Boston and works in sales.

“It seems like a day for our community to get together and just do something positive and have fun,” he said.

Dee Davis-Green, a Dorchester resident who works in information technology, said she brought her nieces to the event.

“Anytime we have events that are for the people of color, I come out to support it,” she said. “If we don’t support them, we don’t have them.”

The event, she said, is a balm in a tumultuous time.

“With the way the world is right now, everything is so divided,” Davis-Green said. “So when you can come together for all walks of life to have fun, to learn about each other, experience different things, it’s always a great time.”

Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her @lauracrimaldi.