ANN ARBOR, MI — In the 1950s, Fourth Avenue and Ann Street were filled with vibrant Black-owned businesses.

Now they’re all gone.

But Ann Arbor’s Black community still gathers at the intersection the first Saturday of June to celebrate the city’s 28th Annual African American Festival despite area gentrification , Event Organizer Teesha Montague said.

“We want young African American youth to know that they come from a rich stock, a rich heritage, and we helped build this city into what it is,” Montague said.

Lucille Porter , an Ann Arbor nonprofit leader, founded the celebration in the mid-1990s as a “preview” to Juneteenth and a way to honor Ann Arbor’s Black ancestors. Montague has picked up the event and used it to educate the community about Ann Arbor’s Black history.

The 28th

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