Yes, that's me—the little wild-haired child under a tent in the middle of Baxter County, in the sweltering summer sun of 1982, standing between registration paperwork and my great-grandmother, Babe Faye Barker (Renfro), who served on our family reunion committee for decades.

Some of my fondest memories are of being able to ditch the city and head down to East Texas, gathering beneath the big tent and running wild all weekend with my cousins during our family celebrations. It was a place where the land spoke of history, told stories of our ancestors, and echoed the journey of migration from Alabama.

My favorites—aside from Brother Barker's BBQ and Sparatic tea cakes on the dessert table—were the watermelon-eating contests. The laughter from the domino and card tables, and the brown, sun-kissed bodies perched on top of Cadillacs and Lincoln Town Cars as cousins, uncles, and aunties reconnected and caught each other up on life from the past year, all sprinkled with the occasional, “You know who I am?” now causes my eyes to water.

The relationships built over those three days lasted forever in a child's mind, and I remember them slowly fading as I've grown older.

As a teenager, I watched my mother, Toni Johnson, become our family reunion president, and things grew even bigger. I began seeing more of the details and behind-the-scenes work. Where I had once been a small child playing with paper dolls on the floor during meetings with my Big Momma, I was now invited to learn the intricate process of bringing together large branches of a family that had stretched far and wide, closing those gaps to create a beautiful occasion over the same three days filled with love, family, fun, and food.

At the last reunion weekend I attended, we shared a story about colorful branches and how we all fit into the same family tree. That was where I began researching our family's backstory. For years, I became obsessed with our lineage and history as our elders began to pass on and the reunions slowly ceased.

Many nights, I wondered how to revive that sense of community and family togetherness. I had watched reports suggest that Black family reunion attendance had declined alongside the weakening of community connections as the world continued to change around us. I was confused about where to begin when something whispered to me from my mother's front porch in Athens: "Start again at the beginning."

So I did.

For several years, I made calls, dug through old records, registration books, and logs my mother had stored in her garage. I found former committee chairs and asked for permission to officially begin planning the traditional Barker Descendants Family Reunion once more.

I called every elder I knew, including our oldest living family member, then 98 years old and residing in Cleveland. One by one, I received the green light.

First, I had to listen and learn the rules and processes that guided the reunion—just as my mother and great-grandmother had done before me. Then I formed a committee representing each branch of the family and worked to foster a renewed sense of community. Remarkably, many of our committee members are the children and grandchildren of former committee members who eagerly embraced the opportunity to continue a family legacy of service and help bring us full circle.

Together, we discussed preserving our traditional values, moral standards, and mission while returning to our roots—and at the same time updating our methods of communication. We were faced with the challenge of sharing important information that many Barker descendants may no longer know.

Our goal is for this website to grow over the years into an information hub that allows you not only to see and experience our family's rich history but also to serve as the center that keeps us connected, informed, and grounded as we gather for our annual celebrations.

With every committee Zoom call, the laughter and familiarity grew. Prayer guided our path, and excitement built as we secured venues and realized that a dream long deferred was finally finding its way back to life.

With determination, total inclusion of all family branches, prayer, and sincere hope, we extend this invitation and challenge to you: Join us in rekindling those magical moments beneath the big tent.

As we do our very best to fill the air with positivity, genuine care, and hearts overflowing with family joy, I carry one personal mission above all else—to let my Big Momma Faye know that the little messy-headed girl in this photograph grew up and, with all the love of family in her heart, chose to listen to the wind, follow through on its calling, and remain a light for others to do the same.

Shae