Ralph Martin is stepping down as president of the Saginaw African Cultural Festival planning committee, and he likes to tell the story of how his involvement took root.
It’s a tribute to Charles McNair, a leading founder of what originally in 1969 was the Black Arts Festival, soon moving to the spacious grounds of Morley Elementary School, where McNair was the longtime principal.
When Martin was the city’s fire marshal, he could count on McNair to visit the downtown central station each February, like annual clockwork. This wasn’t for Black History Month, but for the festival, six months on the horizon for the second full weekend of August.
“He wanted to register the Fire Safety House for the festival,” Martin recalls. “There still would be snow on the ground, but he always wanted to make sure.”
A new SACF president will be named in October. Alexis Thomas, current vice-president and publicity chair, is first in line. She is a former Saginaw Board of Education trustee who recently has served as coordinator for STEM Saturdays at Thompson Middle School.
McNair eventually approached his firehouse benefactor to join the festival leadership during the late 1990s, and Martin has presided over growth, especially in fund-raising for expanded activities.
Two lessons were learned:
- Planning for the festival is year-round, not something that waits for summer to roll around.
- In Mr. McNair’s spirit, don’t be shy in seeking support, in donated dollars and/or personal time. The festival is organized entirely by unpaid volunteers.
“I have never liked asking anybody for anything,” Martin says, “but I learned how to be humble in my approach.”
Along with McNair, support came from Omowale Art Smith, longtime festival chief.
Another asset has been to be well-known in the community for his other involvements, including trustee and president of the Saginaw Library Commission.
One example is his connection with Craig Goslin, co-owner with Dick Garber of the junior hockey Saginaw Spirit, last spring’s Memorial Cup host franchise and underdog champion. They faced each other in late-1970s high school basketball — Goslin for Bay City All Saints and Martin for Saginaw Sts. Peter & Paul. And so Goslin approached in pursuit of ideas for more outreach into the Black populus, and to start, Martin invited the Spirit to take part in this summer’s 55th annual event, the longest stretch in the nation.
The African Fest also has qualified for $227,000 in ARPA funding, after initially being omitted from the first round through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Non-August initiatives have included Kwanzaa celebrations at holiday time, summer Freedom Schools in honor of both McNair and 1964 Mississippi during the heart of the civil rights movement, and youth activities including chess to exercise brain power, with a regular program at Arthur Eddy Academy.
Martin, now closing his career as a state fire marshal, says he plans to remain involved, but more quietly in the background.
