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DATE CHANGE!!!
UAF RETURNS
SUNDAY,
JULY 3, 2022
African Festival
Universal
Springwood Park
Asbury Park, NJ
12pm-6pm
Cultural Festival | 30+ Vendors | Food | Live Entertainment | Art Exhibits | Kids Activities | Scholarships & Community Awards & Much More!
126 Atkins Ave.
UAF
The ZamirAhsaad A. Dunbar Foundation's (ZADF) Annual African American Festival, “Universal African Festival” (UAF) celebrates African American Heritage and Culture through our past, present, and future resilience, creativity, and innovation! UAF is a well-attended festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey featuring 30+ African American vendors from local and neighboring towns, as well as tri-state African American vendors. In 2017 & 2018 UAF brought to the limelight, up and coming as well as seasoned musical entertainers, honored 20+ community members, and gave out $5,000 in college scholarships to local high school students.
UAF Volunteers Needed
At ZADF your time and talent go a long way!
When you volunteer with ZADF for the Universal African Festival you take an active role in
bringing about joy, unity, and prosperity to the community.
Subcommittee & Day of Event Volunteer Opportunities:
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Fundraising
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Social Media
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Marketing
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Event Programming
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Community Outreach & Partnerships
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Day of Festival Support
Thank you for choosing to spend your valuable time
volunteering with US!
UAF
Food Vendor Application
Jambo! Please click the "Apply Here" button and fill out the application and submit your $150 Vendor Payment.
Please thoroughly read the Vendor Concession Agreement.
***All vendor information is provided in the application.
***All food vendors must contact the Asbury Park Fire Department and the Monmouth County Health Department for their food vendor requirements & applications.
Meet UAF's 2022 Committee
Adarra Davis
Adarra Davis is a multi-faceted Arts Manager operating in the tri-state
and the DMV area.; proud Asbury Park native. Some of her interests
include arts & culture , African American studies , community
engagement , health and wellness, travel and entrepreneurship . She is an
explorer and adventurer by nature.
She is a proud HBCU graduate with a B.F.A in Theatre Arts
Administration and M.M. in International Arts Management.
Throughout her career , Adarra has held positions within the fields of
management, operations, performing arts , and nonprofit organizations. Over the course of the past seven years , she has worked on more than fifty productions as a freelancing Arts Administrator. Adarra takes pride in her passion for entertainment and enjoys the thrill/rush of live entertainment.
As an entrepreneur, she plans to continue to build a career and brand in Arts Management building relationships with organizations such as Trevanna, Grit New York, Hot 97 Radio Station, AfroPunk, Red Bull, Duke Ellington School of Arts, Arts Brookfield, Children's Theatre Company. Not Only is Adarra Davis a "Thinker," But She's also a "Do-er" - Who gets the job done!
She is elated and honored to be a part of the ZamirAhsaad A. Dunbar and Universal African Festival team.
Tyrone K. Laws
Mr. Laws is an historian, artist, photographer, actor, playwright, community and cultural activist and public speaker with more than 46 years of experience; he resides in Lake Como, NJ with his wife, Valerie.
He has committed his life work to “Teaching the Children the Truth” and fostering the creation of a middle class from the indigenous and largely indigent populations. He understands the need for “creating communities of choice”. “One person, one family, one neighborhood at a time.”
Tyrone is a member of The Martin Luther King Jr. Presbyterian Church of Neptune New Jersey he serves as an elder and clerk of session. He is the former vice-chair of the Stop the Violence Action Committee in Asbury Park and was an active member of the Asbury Park Civic Participation Project (APCPP) and The Monmouth County Leadership Dialogue.
As Chairman of the APCPP’s voter education committee, Mr. Laws was chosen as panelist on the Strivers Panel at Harvard University for the 2005 “Tribute to the Blackman” Program sponsored by the Black Women Association of Harvard University. He was also the founder and director of Kwest for Truth- a multi-cultural, “edutainment” performance group specializing in civic, corporate and educational presentations to community members of all ages. Utilizing historical theatrical classroom presentations based on current curriculum called “Snapshots in Time”. Kwest for Truth provides a wide range of cultural workshops, lessons and interactive demonstrations.
Mr. Laws received theater training at Rutgers University under a number of notable teachers including Bernard Johnson and Avery Brooks. He has been active in Monmouth County’s Dunbar Repertory Company where his stage credits include 19 years as Malcolm X in Jeff Stetson’s, “The Meeting” Luke in James Baldwin’s Amen Corner, Sgt. Waters in Charles Fuller’s “A Soldiers Play”; and co-playwright and co-director of “For Black Women Only”
Mr. Laws is also a co-founder of Black Gold African Arts Cultural Center, former executive director of the Westside Community Center in Asbury Park, NJ, former director of the Asbury Park Job Training Center, and former executive director of the Center of Love, Inc. Former Program Manager of the New Jersey Association on Correction’s
Winifred Canright House and the Corrections Aids Project.
As a community volunteer he has served as member of the Lake Como Planning Board, charter member of the Belmar/South Belmar Human Relations Commission, and a member of the Monmouth County 4H Expansion and Review committee and the Long Branch NAACP, among other organizations. Mr. Laws has also volunteered as a juvenile in need of intensive supervision mentor with the superior court of Monmouth County.
Kima Solomon
Kima Solomon was born and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She attended Asbury Park’s school system from elementary through high school. Ms. Solomon has always been an advocate for parents, students, and teachers in her community. She studied business at Brookdale Community College and also earned a degree in culinary arts from BCC.
Ms. Solomon graduated from the New Leadership Consortium program in the city of Asbury Park she started her program entitled, Bridging the Gap which brought seniors and young people together. She was an Asbury Park Board of Education employee and went on to be elected the President of the Asbury Park Board of Education. As Board President Ms. Solomon was instrumental in the groundbreaking of the new Thurgood Marshall elementary school in which she made the very decision to name it after the famous African American Judge.
Ms. Solomon also served as a member of the City Council in Asbury Park, and chairperson of the Asbury Park Westside Recreation Community Center. She was very instrumental in bringing back the summer recreation program which had been dormant for 11 years. She too served as President of the newly revised Asbury Park High School Booster Club. Ms. Solomon was also a member of the Asbury Park Block Watch Association.
Donna Puryear
Donna L. Puryear, a descendent of The Sand Hill Indians, is a lifelong resident of Neptune Township. She is the fourth of 16 children of the late Lester and Gloria Richardson Puryear.
Donna graduated from Neptune High School in 1974. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Kean University in 1980, and began her career as an educator in The Asbury Park School District in 1981. In 2005, she was awarded the Governor's Teacher of the Year Award. During her tenure as a teacher in the Asbury Park School District, she served on many committees. Donna mentored many student teachers from Monmouth University, as well as Georgian Court University.
In April of 2013, Donna was elected to the Neptune Township Board of Education. She now holds the office of Vice President and Education Chairperson as a result of her commitment and experience in the field of education.
She is the proud mother of two daughters, Simone Puryear-Flippin and Made Pierre. She is also a mentor to many of her nieces and nephews. Donna has devoted her entire life to children and their education in Neptune Township and Asbury Park, providing for and creating an environment that improves students' academic opportunities, workforce preparedness and overall quality of life. She believes that every student is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially. In 2018, Donna retired after 36 years of service to the students in the Asbury Park School District teaching students in grades K,1,3,4, and 6.
Donna loves giving back to her community by way of volunteering. In the past, she has coached girls biddy basketball in Neptune and girls basketball at St. Mary's in Ocean Township. She has done summer tutoring, was a member of the ladies auxiliary for Liberty Fire Department in Neptune Township, and the Sand Hill Indian Council, which strives to preserve her families heritage in the area. Donna enjoys taking long walks on the boardwalk, spending time with her family, traveling, and just relaxing by her pool enjoying life.
Frances E. Bennett
Frances Bennett is a life long resident of Asbury Park. She is a retiree of the American Telephone & Telegraph Corporation (AT&T), and the Asbury Park Board of Education.
She is a proud mother of 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. She is an avid gardener and has a deep love for cycling, jazz, afro cuban and salsa music. Her hobbies are collecting costume and vintage jewelry, along with wooden artifacts and wooden jewelry.
She was educated at Pratt University (shoe patternmaking), Bronx Community College School of Nursing, the Olatunji Center for African Culture, the National Black Theatre of Harlem, and the Stuart School of Business (Asbury Park).
Kelly Weedon
Kelly Weedon was born and raised in Asbury Park. She is a proud mother of two college educated daughters. She coached Asbury Park Pop Warner cheerleading for over 15 years. Giving back to our youth and others has always been something that she cherished. Her motto is if “I can put a smile on another person's face, then my work has been accomplished”. Ms. Weedon’s love and passion for people is something that truly defines who she is and will always be.
Zekkia Collazo-Johnson
Zekkia Collazo-Johnson is a mother of 3 Neptune Highschool graduates, and 1 current Greengrove Elementary student. She has been a volunteer for different organizations throughout Monmouth County over the past 10 years. She's worked for the media (Asbury Park Press, Neptune NJ), healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Mrs. Collazo-Johnson served as a parent liaison at (Oceans Family Success Center, Asbury Park NJ), assisted residents who were disabled/homebound and held a summer girls empowerment program in 2017 held at the (West Side Community Center, Asbury Park). Over the past 4 years, she has been working fulltime as an Administrative Assistant for a Minority Owned Environmental Consulting firm.
Recently Mrs. Collazo-Johnson has become an avid lover of NJ state park hiking trails, community gardens & playgrounds. While working with this firm it has allowed her to become knowledgeable about the “great outdoors”, provided access to research and bring awareness to the redevelopment opportunities being considered throughout NJ including the community she serves and live in. Mrs. Collazo-Johnson enjoyed being apart of the UAF volunteer committee in 2018 and looks forward to working with the ZADF for the 3rd annual Universal African Festival.
Esther Vincent
Esther Vincent has been a pillar in Asbury for 34 years. She attended Bradley Elementary School and graduated from Asbury Park High School. She currently teaches grades 4-6 MD special education at Dr. MLK Upper Elementary School. During the summer, she works for Asbury Park Recreation as a counselor. Ms. Vincent assists with trips and arts and crafts. During the years she's been in Asbury Park, Ms. Vincent has coached boys and girls high school soccer, and indoor and outdoor track. One of her biggest accomplishments is when she choreographed cultural dance performances in the AP School District for Haitian Flag Day, Black History Month and Spanish Heritage Month. Not only did she teach her students about her Haitian culture, it made students learn about theirs as well. Her purpose of being here in Asbury are for her past and present students. Seeing their faces everyday and knowing she can make a difference in their lives, motivates her to always go the extra mile for them.
Jessie Ricks
Jessie Ricks is a 54 year resident of Asbury Park, and aretire from the Asbury Park Board of Education since 2012. She loves the city of Asbury Park and has been actively involved in the following areas:
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Elected to the Asbury Para of Education in 2021
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Presently serving on the Asbury Park Recreation Advisory Board
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Presently serving on the Asbury Park Rent Leveling Board
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Served as an Asbury Park Housing Authority Commissioner for 17 years
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She has also volunteered over the years on the Asbury Park School District's Parent Teacher Organization, The Parent Advisory Council, the High School’s Booster Club, and was instrumental in naming the Dorothy L Mcnish Parent Center
