Many families combine cultural activities with weekend get-togethers.
When Dr. Anita Moncrease's grandmother died six years ago, the Detroit physician realized she didn't know a lot about her family's history. Through research that began soon afterward, she traced her family's roots back to the 1800s in North Carolina, findings she was eager to share with kinfolk. The amateur historian became a reunion organizer for her Ray family, and recently brought about 100 relatives to Detroit for a three-day gathering. Like many organizers of black family gatherings, Moncrease wanted to plan an affair that meant more than breaking bread and swapping photos of graduations and weddings. Her museum expects up to 500 family reunion groups to visit this year, she estimated.