55th annual Black Family Day on UC Davis campus is set for Saturday
AN EVENT CELEBRATING THE BLACK COMMUNITY IS HAPPENING AT THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS THIS WEEKEND. BLACK FAMILY DAY IS A FREE ANNUAL EVENT WITH A HISTORY THAT DATES BACK DECADES. JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE EVENT ARE ORGANIZERS MAKAI JONES AND AVION JOHNSON. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US AGAIN, YOU GUYS, THIS YEAR. NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK. TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS EVENT. 50 YEARS STRONG PLUS 50 YEARS STRONG PLUS. YEAH. SO IT STARTED AROUND LIKE 1968. IT STARTED WITH LIKE 12 BLACK STUDENTS THAT JUST WANTED TO FIND A PLACE TO CONVENE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY DON’T REALLY SEE A LOT OF THEMSELVES. YOU KNOW, THEY INVITED SOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO DO A BARBECUE. AND THEN EVER SINCE THEN, THE TRADITION HAS BEEN GOING STRONG. 50 YEARS AROUND LIKE 55 YEARS NOW. AND IT’S ALSO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WERE DESIGNATED AS A BLACK SERVING INSTITUTION AT UC DAVIS. THAT’S RIGHT. YOUR ORGANIZATION PUTS THIS ON EVERY YEAR. WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT IF THEY COME OUT WITH THEIR FAMILIES THIS WEEKEND? SO TO START OFF, THEY CAN EXPECT A LOT OF FOOD. WE HAVE FOOD VENDORS AND FOOD TRUCKS ALL BLACK OWNED. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE BLACK OWNED CRAFT VENDORS WHERE BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES ARE ABLE TO COME AND PROMOTE AND SELL THEIR PRODUCTS. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ACTIVITIES ALL DAY, RANGING FROM FACE PAINTING, HENNA, ANIMAL BALLOON MAKING, A MECHANICAL BULL, INFLATABLES AND STUFF FOR THE KIDS. A LOT OF ACTIVITIES FOR EVERYBODY, ALL AGES. AND WE’RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE PERFORMANCES. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A VARIETY OF WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A DJ PLAYING GREAT MUSIC. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE LIVE DANCES FROM STUDENTS AND ALSO OTHER BLACK OWNED DANCE GROUPS. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A SPOKEN WE’RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE A LIVE BAND, AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OUR HEADLINE PERFORMER, JUST EVERYBODY SHOWCASING THE BEST OF WHAT THEIR BUSINESS OR WHAT THEIR TALENTS HAVE TO OFFER. IT’S PRETTY EXCITING. REAL QUICK ON THE TALENTS. WE ALSO HAVE THESE ARTWORKS THAT WERE CREATED BY UC DAVIS STUDENTS. SO IF YOU COME TO UC DAVIS, SEE THESE. BUT WE’LL WE’LL I DON’T KNOW IF YOU ALL CAN SEE THOSE. WE’LL HOLD THESE UP AS WE TALK. BUT YEAH, SO YOU HAVE SOME ARTISTS WHO PUT THESE ALL TOGETHER. OH, WOW. YEAH. ALL STUDENT ARTISTS. SO THESE ARE ARTISTS THAT MADE THESE ARTWORKS ADEMILOLA SACTOWN AND JEFF DE LEON. THEY ALL MADE THESE ARTWORKS THAT GO TO UC DAVIS, AND THESE ARE STICKERS THAT YOU CAN BE ABLE TO PICK UP AT BLACK FAMILY DAY IF YOU ATTEND, ALONG WITH LIKE SOME OTHER LIKE FREE STUFF. SO LIKE WE’LL HAVE LIKE GAMES AND STUFF. SO WE’LL HAVE LIKE MUSICAL CHAIRS, SPELLING BEE AS POTENTIAL WAYS THAT YOU COULD LIKE, YOU KNOW, WIN SOME FREE STUFF. WE ALSO HAD OUR EVENTBRITE WHERE IF YOU REGISTER, YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO ENTER INTO LIKE GETTING SOMETHING FREE RELATED TO BLACK FAMILY WHERE THAT BAG SOME STICKERS, A SHIRT WHICH YOU CAN BUY LIKE THE DAY OF. IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE AROUND $10 SUPER CHEAP. AND YOU CAN JUST PULL UP AND COME TO. IT’S SO NEAT THAT PEOPLE CAN REALLY ENGAGE WITH THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES AT THIS EVENT. AND SPEAKING OF WHICH, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE EVENT INFORMATION ON THE SCREEN FOR OUR VIEWERS. IT’S HAPPENING TOMORROW FROM 12 P.M. TO 8 P.M. IT’S IN THE UC DAVIS QUAD. IT’S FREE TO ATTEND. AS YOU HEARD THE GUYS SAY, IT IS FILLED WITH FOOD VENDORS, CRAFT BOOTHS, THE MUSIC, ALL KINDS OF PERFORMANCES, AND EVEN I HEARD THE MECHANICAL BULL IN THERE. SO ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO BE TAKING PART ON THAT? YOU KNOW, I MIGHT, I MIGHT, I MIGHT INDULGE IN A LITTLE MECHANICAL BULL, YOU KNOW, OVERSEE THE MECHANICAL BULL ACTIVITY, YOU KNOW, TO SEE IF I MIGHT KNOCK SOMEBODY OFF REAL QUICK. I DON’T KNOW. WE’LL SEE. ALL RIGHT. WELL, HANG ON TIGHT TO MY WORDS OF WISDOM. NOT THAT I’VE TRIED IT. ALL RIGHT. THANK Y
55th annual Black Family Day on UC Davis campus is set for Saturday
Updated: 11:11 AM PDT May 22, 2026
Editorial Standards
An event celebrating the Black community in and around Davis is happening on the UC Davis campus on Saturday.The 55th Annual Black Family Day will bring together students and families in the school’s quad as a way to celebrate Black businesses, creators, artists and food vendors.Event organizers Makhi Jones and Dayvion Johnson of the Cross Cultural Center at UC Davis sat down with KCRA 3 in studio Friday to share information about the event.They said the event will include people selling goods and organizations handing out information about their community-based programs.Other event activities and attractions include: Henna artists, a photobooth, inflatable games, balloon animals, face painting, competition, a mechanical bull, wine and jazz, line dancing, musicians, R&B, Rap, live bands, DJs, games, a spelling bee, and more.Black Family Day runs from noon to 8 p.m.For more information, watch the video in the player above or visit here.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google
An event celebrating the Black community in and around Davis is happening on the UC Davis campus on Saturday.
The 55th Annual Black Family Day will bring together students and families in the school’s quad as a way to celebrate Black businesses, creators, artists and food vendors.
Event organizers Makhi Jones and Dayvion Johnson of the Cross Cultural Center at UC Davis sat down with KCRA 3 in studio Friday to share information about the event.
They said the event will include people selling goods and organizations handing out information about their community-based programs.
Other event activities and attractions include: Henna artists, a photobooth, inflatable games, balloon animals, face painting, competition, a mechanical bull, wine and jazz, line dancing, musicians, R&B, Rap, live bands, DJs, games, a spelling bee, and more.
Black Family Day runs from noon to 8 p.m.
For more information, watch the video in the player above or visit here.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google
