Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined city leaders at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum to announce the events and activities at this year’s African American Festival. The Festival, which has been held in Baltimore for more than 30 years, will be held on Saturday, July 2, and Sunday, July 3, 2011, at M&T Bank Stadium. This free event attracts people of all ages to enjoy music, culture, new educational and history exhibits, an interactive children’s area as well as free programming in financial empowerment and health & wellness. Annually, the Festival attracts as many as 500,000 people from the Baltimore region, Washington D.C., Virginia and other neighboring states.

“Every year, Baltimore is host to the East Coast’s premier African American cultural festival,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “I look forward to welcoming the hundreds of thousands of guests who are coming to my hometown to enjoy art, food, and culture with their family and friends.

The Festival is presented by the Mayor’s Office and produced by greiBO Entertainment. For the first time, the African American Festival will feature Radio One’s Stone Soul Picnic, combining Baltimore’s two signature African American cultural summer events on one weekend.

“Our goal is to create the ultimate destination weekend for sponsors, vendors, families and our community,” said Shelonda Stokes, CEO of greiBO entertainment. “This year’s festival is designed to engage everyone through music and celebrity challenges, step shows, a film festival, health screenings and other dynamic celebrations of our rich traditions.”

At today’s event, Mayor Rawlings-Blake announced the members of the Festival’s Advisory Board. The Chair of the Board is Ms. Cathy Hughes, CEO of Radio One. Other members include: Dr. Walter G. Amprey, President of Amprey & Associates, Dr. Reginald S. Avery,  President of Coppin State University, Michael Brown, Principal at Miles & Stockbridge P.C.,  Karen Banfield Evans, Executive Director for the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation, Diane L. Bell-McKoy, President and CEO of the Associated Black Charities of Maryland, Monyka Berrocosa, Founder and CEO of MyCity4Her, J.P. Grant, President and CEO of Grant Capital Management, Inc., Pless Jones, Sr., President of P & J Contracting Company, Inc., Kenneth L. Thompson, Partner at DLA Piper, LLP, and Dr. David Wilson , President of Morgan State University.

For more information, visit www.AfricanAmericanFestival.net or call (410) 244.8861.