New Springfield festival celebrates Black-owned businesses

Sep. 2—A festival celebrating Black-owned businesses, culture and community is slated for Sept. 10 in Springfield.

Soko Place Festival will go from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Covenant United Methodist Church, located at 529 W. Johnny Lytle Ave. Admission is free.

Event organizer Gloria Brown said the festival, in its first year, was created to showcase Black-owned businesses, particularly in the city's south side, and connect community members to other services in the area.

"We're trying to incorporate that element that's kind of missing," Brown said. "There's a lot of small businesses out there, and this is for them and for the community."

Soko means "market" in Swahili. Soko Place is a cultural education and awareness tool developed to establish and maintain a local Black business economy, according to festival organizers.

The festival will include 20 local small businesses, local food trucks, and multiple agencies to help connect people to health education, such information about lead hazards and Medicare and Medicaid programming.

Live music — reggae, R&B and gospel — will play throughout the day and other attractions will be featured for families to enjoy, like bounce houses.

The church hosted a small Soko Place marketspace in its building in February to celebrate Black History Month.