This article was originally published April 24, 1994
I have heard authorities label and define Freaknic, yet no one has bothered to ask how or when the concept originated.
I was a member of the organizing committee of the first-ever Freaknic. That’s what we called it back then. I’m not sure when, or why, the spelling got changed to its current rendition of “Freaknik.”
In 1982, members of the Washington, D.C., Metro Club at the Atlanta University Center - a social club established for the district’s students who were attending AUC - met at Giles Hall on the campus of Spelman College to discuss a club theme for the 1982-83 school year.
A member (I wish I could remember his name) suggested “Return of the Freak.” “The Freak” is a dance that was especially popular with club members because it was the “in” dance when we were in high school.
The theme was quickly adopted and we kicked off the year with a “Return of the Freak” dance in the W.E.B. DuBois Hall on the campus of Morehouse College. The dance was open to students not just from Washington, D.C., but from elsewhere, too. We came together in the name of music, dance and camaraderie.
In the spring of 1983, the D.C. Metro Club met once again to decide on a spring-break get-together for those members who would be staying in Atlanta during the holiday.
In keeping with our theme, we decided to host Freaknic - a picnic on campus with go-go music, which originated in Washington, D.C., and music by Parliament Funkadelic.
The first Freaknic took place on the AUC campus. About 50 to 60 students turned up. The second year, we moved to Piedmont Park, and the next year - the last time I participated - we celebrated our annual picnic in Adams Park.
The other day, I contacted Darryl Boone in Washington, D.C., the president of the D.C. Metro Club in 1982-83 and briefed him on the current controversy in Atlanta surrounding the event whose name is derived from a dance.
Initially we laughed, but then we paused. We felt proud that the efforts of the originating committee members turned a small gathering of young, talented African-American students into a mega-event in which students from across America come together in the name of good will, peace and harmony.
My only regret is that I don’t remember the name of the member who thought of the “Return of the Freak” theme. All I can say to him is that he should be proud of how his concept has evolved.
For those Atlantans who fear 150,000 African-American college students converging on Atlanta - the city too busy to hate - here is an update: Darryl Boone and his wife own a successful art gallery in Washington, D.C. James Anthony Towns, vice president of the D.C. Metro Club in 1982-83, is a successful Washington attorney.
I remained in Atlanta after graduation from Spelman College in 1987 and founded a successful building-maintenance service and later worked for the U.S. Labor Department. Other members of the committee that organized the original Freaknic and many of those who participated continue to make valuable contributions through their life work.
For those who have elected to turn their backs on the dollars of these young African-American students, I hope that Freaknik 1994 participants have long memories and will remember those who spurned their dollars.
These businesses will one day eagerly court the patronage of today’s Freaknik participants, many of whom will emerge as tomorrow’s leaders and success stories from black America.
My mother would have preferred that I left a legacy of academic excellence, but I am proud to claim this large, national, peaceful gathering of young African-American future leaders as a legacy of good will.
Sharon Correa Toomer, who graduated from Spelman College in 1987, was chairwoman of Freaknic 1983. She’s from Washington, D.C., and currently lives in Atlanta.
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