Mr. Charlie Dugger Brings the 55th Annual Marcus Garvey Day Celebration

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once called Marcus Garvey “the first man on a mass scale and level to give millions of Negroes a sense of dignity and destiny.” In Baltimore, Charlie Dugger, a former schoolteacher of 46 years, is cut from that same “dignity and destiny” cloth. For 55 years, Dugger has spearheaded celebrations in August in remembrance of the Honorable Marcus Garvey. The 55^th Annual Marcus Garvey Day Celebration is August 16, 2025 in Baltimore.

Reflecting on the start of Garvey Day, Dugger reflected, “I graduated from Howard University in 1968. I lived on North Gilmor Street across from Harlem Park. I met a brother named Kojo. Kojo lived around the corner. He was a member of Soul School Institute, a serious cultural educational organization in Baltimore at the time. Kojo would talk to me about a man named Marcus Garvey. Throughout my education, I had never heard of Marcus Garvey. I became fascinated by Garvey. So Kojo and I decided to begin a celebration to honor Marcus Garvey in Harlem Park. It has been great.” 

“Marcus Garvey was pivotal to the Harlem Renaissance. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the brother who started Negro History Week, now Black History Month, wrote for Garvey’s publications. Garvey inspired a lot of people,” Dugger said. The Marcus Garvey Day Celebration promotes friendship, fellowship and positive community love and cooperation. Attendees show a positive love for Black people. Quiet and confident. African-centered and cultural.

His work has touched the lives of thousands in Baltimore and the world. That active concern for the community was developed by his family, grade school teachers and his outdoor camp experiences with the Druid Hill YMCA. The “Y” introduced him to the Class “A” Clap, well known to anyone who attends a cultural program involving Charlie Dugger. 

For 25 years, he organized Splash Parties at Druid Hill Park Pool; for 10 years Umoja-Harambee Boat Rides that sailed from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor; overnight camping; canoeing outings; and swimming, drama, and yoga clubs at schools where he taught. Some may remember the green bus he used to provide transportation to and from cultural activities.

With Owusu Bandele and Paul Williams, he hosted “Voices and Choices”, a radio program on WEAA 88.9 FM. The same program moved to WEBB 1360 AM. Under Larry Dean, WEAA News Director, Dugger did a radio commentary entitled “Root to Fruit,” which the Baltimore AFRO American Newspaper published simultaneously.

The organizing hallmark of Dugger is inclusive of all community people, not just well-known figures or the well-connected. Thus, “The People” in the name “Camp Harambee-The People” means “everybody”. It’s inclusive. “The People” mirrors the active intention of Garvey’s’ Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)—“Universal” being inclusive. 

Dugger ran for Mayor of Baltimore City twice, advocating for a Police Review Board. As an educator, he testified before the Baltimore City School Board. His consistency on issues was a professional thorn that pricked the bureaucratic side of some officials, but he has been undeterred. 

For the past 35 years, he has organized Kwanzaa educational presentations at Enoch Pratt Free Library branches. For 25 years, he helped organize pre-Kwanzaa programs at Morgan State. The Cherry Hill Waterfront Festival has welcomed him with a Kwanzaa information booth to engage people about the 7 Principles of Black Unity (Nguzo Saba). He has taught school in Haiti and organized group trips to the island.

“When we started out years ago, we used to do street theater. We’d take it to the people. We’d use drama to highlight issues and concerns of the day,” Dugger reflected. 

Over the past 3 to 4 years, a group of people developed into the Marcus Garvey Day (MGD) support committee to help with Camp Harambee-The People cultural programs. “The committee has been wonderful,” he said.
The 55^th Annual Marcus Garvey Day Celebration will be held August 16, noon to 7 p.m. at Harlem Square Park, 600 block of N. Gilmor St at Edmondson Ave, Baltimore, MD 21217. See more information on Facebook at: Baltimore’s Annual Marcus Garvey Day, email CampHarambeeThePeople@gmail.com, or call 410- 274-9032.