Freaknik
Freaknik (short for "freedom picnic") was a meeting of (primarily African-American) college students from all over the United States, occurring yearly in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It was usually held during the third weekend in April, which at that time was Reading Day (or the break between classes and exams) for the schools of the Atlanta University Center. It began in 1986 as a small quiet gathering in White Park. It was created by the DC METRO CLUB of the Atlanta University Center (Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morris Brown College). The name Freaknik comes from a member of the DC Metro Club named Henri. When the club decided to have a picnic as one of its events. Henri said, "We can't just have a picnic, we are from DC, we have to have a Freaknic." For whatever reason, the event suddenly increased in popularity in 1994 and became a gathering primarily focused on dancing and music.
Some groups objected to the event, although these were primarily remnants of long-standing anti-African-American hate groups, who feared even a peaceable gathering of African-American youth. Unfortunately, as the event grew in popularity, some negative elements entered the event's culture, and individuals whose intent was diametrically opposed to the event's original purpose began to attend. This negative influence, unfortunately, soon became the only reported element of the festival, and Freaknik became synonymous with violence and other objectionable behavior. Some reported events included the looting of Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall in 1995.
As violence grew, city leaders began to take measures to curtail Freaknik's accessibility and hence its popularity. Because of those plans, Freaknik in its later years moved to Memorial Drive in Dekalb County , in order to adapt to the growing numbers attending each year. At its peak in the mid-nineties, upwards of 250,000 revelers joined the festivities each year.
Freaknik came to an end in 1999[citation needed], after a female was raped during that year's event, and the organizers believed that the original intent of community and festivity had been lost to negative elements.
Here is the event web page from 1999: http://www.atlanta-midtown.com/features/9904/freaknik.html
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