Jannika Simms from the Baltimore area, participated heavily in the Cultural Arts Program and then with the AFRAM festivals throughout the 80s and later. She expressed enthusiasm for the the Cultural Arts Program (CAPs) and how it offered for the current festivals in comparison to the previous ones and how there needs to be more investment to the festival for the Black community.
1. Can you tell me a bit about yourself and what you did at AFRAM?
I was a dancer in the CAPs and participated all year long. During summer time we had youth groups help. I performed in Festival Hall which the Convention Center bought out. When I started dancing in the CAPs, I just turned eight. The program used to do outreach to elementary schools and then would have kids travel to the actual site where the festival was. The program had children music band, I played the drum and had music classes that teachers, Ms. Stephanie Powell and Mr. Donald Washington taught. One of the class I took was a percussion class. Two days of the cultural arts program was at school and then going to the Dunbar site. Stephanie Powell taught at Eubie Blake site. I eventually choose dance because I had more of a way to express herself. My grandmother made sure I was in as many things. There was also an athletic league that was also through CAPs. My brother played piano and did sports such as basketball, to name a few. Every summer that I didn’t do dance, I would get paid to help the kids at the camp that had performances.
2. What made you want to be part of the AFRAM Festival?
CAPs always had the performance venue and later did machining bands. All the marching bands in the festival did a showcase at the festival. All of the aspects of the festival were connected. I never really knew about the connectedness of the festival until later. AFRAM had vendors, had galleries, jewelry stands- my sister sold her jewelry she made there. My family would always go to the festival. I also met other dance teachers through Stephanie Powell. I always went to AFRAM, Artscape, NAACP, ACT-SO. During high school we could apply for scholarships. This opened kids up to all kinds of opportunities. My Grandma took out a loan to have a snare drum and rented it out for me to use. This was under a payment plan that the CAPs had. I stuck with this in sophomore of High-school.
3. How long did you participate in the festival and when did you participate in?
My mom performed in 1976 (senior year) and took a sewing and theater class. I didn’t start till around 1985-1986 when AFRAM was at Festival Hall and I continued till 1993. I became Stephanie Powell’s assistant later on. It was 75 cents enter, but they were easy to let people in if someone did not that the exact amount.
4. What was the energy like at the AFRAM festivals you participated in? Did people seem to enjoy themselves?
It was artist based and it really had a working artists environment. Kids brought their families so there was a lot of connection. Now artists are struggling to make a living. But back then, there was much more of a connection and support with the CAPs and AFRAM. People are pushing their programs now with no connection.
We must start having consistency in our programs.
Kids now a days, might get something beneficial but programs might only last 2-3 years.
CAPs had a lot to offer for kids and parents. There was different sections such as: health section, history, arts, and music, to name a few. It was all connected in this circle that would connect as you maneuvered through the festival. Liked when it was at Camden Yards the festival at least seemed part of the city. When they took the festival to Druid Hill Park it wasn’t crowded. This has made the whole atmosphere less family oriented.
Downtown it brought everyone to the city but know the festival in Druid Hill Park it feels like you seclude the African Americans to a specific space.
In the past they had poetry competition, and award scholarships and they would be announced on Sundays (during church groups with gospel performances). It was also always known regionally. My family would come down from New York and North Carolina for the summer time and then they would bring people to have a family event at AFRAM.
5. Did you observe any specific thoughts or feelings from visitors there?
Everyone I know that was involved in the CAPs, were disgusted by the Druid Hill location. I was the person to feed the main artists (with tour buses) .
6. Would you participate again in future festivals, if so what makes you want to come back?
I have been busy working with Artscape along with Angela Koukoui, Xpressive4ever Dance which is a non-profit organization, I have done lights and choreographed dances. Artscape is mimicking a lot of what AFRAM does because they are also trying to run similar programs that they did.
8. Is there anything you want to change about AFRAM? If not, what are things you hope are continued in the next AFRAM Festivals?
The last year it was at Camden Yards- it started to feel like the old AFRAM. Although later on the organizers started to divert from how the old AFRAM Festival was like. The planning team was not interested in Norman E. Ross's input. It would have been great to ask for Maria Broom and Stephanie Powell's input as well.
9. Is there something you would want someone else to learn about the AFRAM Festival and remember?
AFRAM taught us what was going on in the communities. We were always in walking distance to Artscape or AFRAM. It offered a lot of us, independence through the resources the city was providing. It made the people appreciate the city, because the CAPs centers were always open and available. My brother went to recreational centers for sports and had classes at Dunbar. A lot of my family members were participants in the programs.
When Norman E. Ross was planning the festival, their organizing team always made sure it was made relevant. When AFRAM was part of the CAPs, it had many resources for kids and parents (know there are not at as many programs for children to go to).