The national Black Family Reunion was first established by civil rights leader Dorothy Height in 1986.
[1] [2][3] Historically, the Black Family Reunion has also taken place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (as recently as 2011) and in other cities across the United States.
[5][6][7] The stated mission of the Reunion is a "cultural week and event which brings consumers, corporations, and communities together to focus on the historic strengths and values of the Black Family" and to "showcase" and "reinforce" the "historic morals of the Black family.
[10][11] In 1994, the National Black McDonald's Operators Association commissioned prolific D.C.-based artist Byron Peck to paint a Reunion-themed mural on 14th street in Washington.
[12] He employed three students and three artist assistants and based the work on a friend's family photos representing multiple generations.