African-American Cultural Festival Draws Crowd To Bristol Waterfront

The Bristol Borough African-American Cultural Festival has a long tradition of coming to the waterfront to celebrate heritage and culture as a community.

The cultural day is a celebration, but it is also a fundraiser for Bucks County African-Americans for Future Education (BCAAFE). The group gives scholarships to local graduates and presents three scholarships totaling $1,500 on Saturday at the festival.

The scholarships were awarded to Bendu Jackson as she heads to Kutztown University, Danell Snelling Jr. as he heads to Manor College and Faith McCauley as she goes to Holy Family University.

The festival has gone on for more than 20 years and although the attendance has dipped, the spirit of the day has not gone anywhere.

Stefani Allen is one of the six members on the BCAAFE committee. Allen, whose mother is a longtime member of the committee, received a scholarship from the foundation when she graduated from Harry S. Truman High School.

“Knowing that someone who believed in me as I was going into college was big,” Allen said.

Tapping into that feeling, she has returned to help pass that feeling of belief onto the next generation.

“It’s great to bring everyone in and share the history,” explained Barbara Allen.

Thanks to the new docks, more people come into the borough and end up sharing and learning history.

Local business owners also took the opportunity to come out and support the festival. Ramona, Marcellous and Meshael Jones, of Discover, Learn and Grow, were down at the wharf taking in the day and enjoying some water ice.

A huge portion of African-American Cultural Festival in Bristol is history and as in years past, the African-American Historical and Cultural Society of Bucks County was present to share tidbits from the past. Aamira Rollins, a retired social studies teacher and researcher and historical educator, was on the scene presenting a research project on how slave children passed the time and the dolls they built.

The African-American Historical and Cultural Society of Bucks County is working on getting a space to erect a museum and reference library.