BLACK FAMILY CELEBRATED ON THE MALL

MUSIC, TEACHING, FOOD DRAW 90, 000

Dorothy I. Height and her colleagues at the National Council of Negro Women encountered a fair degree of skepticism three years ago when they came up with the idea of a festival to celebrate the black family. "People said you'd never get more than 5,000 people to show up," said Vanessa Weaver, one of the original organizers.

But Height, longtime president of the national women's group, has succeeded beyond expectations with the Black Family Reunion Celebration, a two-day festival of song, teaching, food and learning that opened yesterday for the third year in a row. The festival drew as many as 90,000 people to the Washington Monument grounds.

"It just caught on," Height said after her opening address. "People were ready for something that is positive."

The message yesterday was basic but powerful: The black family is a vibrant institution that can be tapped to deal with such deeply rooted social problems as inadequate health and education, teen-age parents and drug abuse.

"It is a great opportunity to counteract the pervasive negative publicity in the press about the black family," said Joyce Howard, an editor from the Bronx, N.Y. "It is an opportunity to celebrate the strength of the black family that has allowed us to survive against such tremendous odds."

Thousands of people crowded 11 pavilions offering information on the work ethic, educational opportunities, health screening and even free haircuts, while listening to a slew of celebrities, including singer Melba Moore, actress Esther Rolle and comedian Dick Gregory. Organizers said 90,000 people showed up during the day, and U.S. Park Police estimated the crowd at up to 10,000 at a time.

The festival continues today with a sunrise service and speeches by Jesse L. Jackson, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and Del. Walter E. Fauntroy (D-D.C.).

For the national women's group, it was the fourth reunion this summer, after similar events in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

In the last three years, organizers say, about 2 million people have come to the celebrations. "It has really become a national movement," Height said.

Mary Hatcher came with her sister, daughter, granddaughter and other family members and friends from Riverhead, N.Y., where she works as assistant to the pastor of the First Baptist Church. It was her second time at the celebration.

"We came back because we enjoyed it so much last year," Hatcher said. "The message that we receive -- we take it back to our local community."

The reunion was not the only festival in Washington yesterday. Barry and several D.C. Council members walked down Georgia Avenue NW in a parade marking the annual Georgia Avenue Day, which included children's rides at Emery Park and a carnival at Banneker High School. Today, the Adams-Morgan Day Festival, beginning at noon along 18th Street NW, will round out the weekend.

At the family reunion yesterday, people wandered through pavilions financed by major corporations, ate barbecued chicken, sipped soft drinks and lounged on the grass, listening to live jazz and soul.

At the health tent, visitors could be tested for cancer, high blood pressure and other illnesses, while receiving information about nutrition, AIDS and prenatal care.

Millicent Moore, from Brooklyn, N.Y., had her weight and blood pressure checked, and seemed appreciative of the opportunity. "You learn different things," she said. "Sometimes you don't always do your checkups."

Gwendolyn Washington and Sylvia Robinson of the St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Gospel Choir here, which was on yesterday's program, rushed by after visiting the "Black and Beautiful" pavilion. It offered barbering and manicuring along with beauty tips.

"They are doing just about everything you can do to beautify yourself," Washington said. Robinson called it "the whole black experience in hair."

Jean Wyche, a social worker with the D.C. Department of Human Services, was heartened by the festival. "It's something that's needed -- to preserve the family," she said. "I see a lot of breakdown. To see this is encouraging."

Articles appear as they were originally printed in The Washington Post and may not include subsequent corrections.