The slogan of the inaugural African-American Heritage Festival is "Come see who we are" -- and event organizers mean that literally.
"It's the heritage of the African-American culture -- past, present and future," says festival spokeswoman Mary Wright.
"And it's the first time for the African-American Heritage Festival, so we want people to come see who we are."
The three-day family-focused event, which starts tomorrow at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, will emphasize the arts, education, entertainment and African-American contributions to Baltimore and society as a whole.
Everything is free, with the exception of food and parking.
The festival committee has gathered a wide range of African-American performers, artists, educators and community leaders to participate in the event. In addition, there will be 500 volunteer "ambassadors" to welcome visitors.
The festival kicks off at 5 p.m. tomorrow with a ribbon cutting by Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Kweisi Mfume, NAACP president and festival chairman.
Big-name entertainment
Each night of the three-day event will be capped with a performance by nationally acclaimed entertainers.
R&B diva Erykah Badu headlines tomorrow night. For many fans, Badu's sultry voice evokes memories of another legendary female singer, Baltimore's own Billie Holiday. Badu's unique blend of jazz, soul and hip-hop has won her much acclaim since the release of her 1997 debut album, Baduizm.
The Baltimore-based group Fertile Ground will open for Badu. James Collins, the group's 26-year-old music director, says he and his fellow band members were pleased by the invitation.
Fertile Ground -- which plays "neo-soul-jazz, if that's a musical style," Collins says with a laugh -- has just come off a world tour that took the group to Europe and Japan.
"We've played premier festivals all over the world, and it's nice to be asked to play in one of that caliber at home," Collins says.
He, like many of those who have been asked to play a role in the inaugural heritage festival, has high hopes about what the event could mean for Baltimore.
"One of my personal goals has been for the city to [better] develop its arts climate. This is where Billie Holiday got her start," he says. "This is the home of Pennsylvania Avenue and the [so-called] `chitlins circuit.' I don't think Billie would have a lot of stages to play here now, but she would have a great festival to come to."
