John McWilliams makes his way back home every year from Texas to see his family. But a highlight to that homecoming is also seeing his Greenwood High School Class of 1992 friends.
And over the last several years, he hasn’t had to hop from house to house to see those familiar faces he’s bonded with over the decades or wait 10 years for a class reunion.
Everybody is in one spot, from sunup to sundown when I’m So Greenwood (ISG) rolls around each May.
That’s what Alfonso Undra Gray had in mind when he was brewing the idea years ago on how he could get all family, friends and even classmates in one place for one day of fellowshipping.
Carlos Roberson, left, and John McWilliams, holding up a fraternity sign, enjoy the I’m So Greenwood festivities.
Now on the brink of its 10th year, the ISG event has proven to be that place, held at Whittington Park in Greenwood the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
McWilliams is a repeat attendee from years 2015 through 2019, 2022 and 2023. “I attend because I love being able to go back to my hometown and see old classmates, family and friends,” he said. “I love going back to see the genuine love and sense of community that's displayed over the course of the weekend. For so many of us, these are our fond memories of the city that we grew up in.”
Gray, the founder and organizer, was born and raised in Greenwood, near Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in the Noel Street area. He’s been residing in Chicago since 1996.
“I pitched the idea to family to start bringing us all back home at the same time, same place,” Gray said on how ISG started. “It was around 2012 that the idea was discovered, and I wasn’t sure how to make it happen. I pitched the idea to a few friends and got a committee to help plan it. The name of I’m So Greenwood at the time came about when there was a little slogan or (social media) challenge going on all over the world. And so, that’s where I got it from.
“Over the years, it has evolved. The first event was in 2015, and I wasn’t expecting but about 200-300 people. I showed up that Thursday (to town), and I remember going out to the park that Friday morning and seeing people reserve or marking their spot. Sure enough, about 1,500 people showed up.”
Gray said the second year brought 3,000 people to the park. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
“Last year, we had close to 6,000 people and that’s with the rain,” Gray said. “With the flow of traffic, people go and come. But at the heart of it, we had close to 4,000 at one time.”
Alfonso Undra Gray
ISG is a free event that’s set up in a tailgate style: It’s first come, first served for how people can pick their spot, bringing their own tables, tents and chairs. Gray provides the DJ for entertainment as well as clowns, bouncers and face-painting for kids.
Though it’s free, the purchase of an ISG T-shirt is encouraged to help offset the costs of the event. The shirts for children are $15 and $25 for adult sizes that can go up to 6X. Sponsorships of $500 are available.
Annette D. Ford, a 1986 GHS graduate, has had a big hand from the infant years in assisting Gray with the event. She also handles ISG’s Facebook page with posting of content, pictures and videos.
Ford now lives in Georgia but makes the six-hour trip to Greenwood each year for the gathering. “I have not missed any,” she said. “For me, it is to continue that community spirit that needs to continue in Greenwood, and it needs to be heavy-handed. We can’t lose that community spirit, and it’s the family day in the park that does it for me.”
Ford is planning this year to arrive in Greenwood a few days early. “I walk the park with (Gray) that Thursday or Friday” to help with logistics, she said.
Her role as support for the event “depends on what that need is, and what I’ve done consistently is photography,” she said. “I like taking my camera, and people don’t know when I’m photographing. It shows the essence and the beauty of the community. Beautiful event, and it’s captured in those photos.” Ford takes upward of 500 to 800 pictures at the event, shooting as fast as eight shots per second. “I always want to show them in their best light,” she said.
From 7 to 10 a.m., ISG begins with gospel music. Over the years, Ford said her favorite part of the event “is probably the praise in the park. It sets the tone on how we’re going to operate in true family, grandma values. And we start by honoring our higher beings — whoever that may be for you. We play gospel music, and we honor those elderly people — the elderly who live near the park.”
Ford said everyone’s tables and tents are usually highly decorated and show such things as one’s patriotism, favorite NFL teams and more.
“You’ll see all types of decoration on the tables/spaces/tents: that they have served their country, JSU, MVSU,” she said. “And you’ll see the classes of ’88, Amanda Elzy, Greenwood High from all the different years. And if they’re having a reunion during that time, you’ll see that as well. I go live on ISG experience (on Facebook) and bring people in through these videos. It’s a great time of the year, a wonderful time.”
Last year, ISG had vendors on hand to showcase local products and services.
Sabrina Tanner-Moore, owner and CEO of Body Luck Skincare, worked as a vendor last year. “Although this was not my first time attending I’m So Greenwood, it was, however, my first time serving as a vendor,” said the Greenwood native. “As the owner, I must say that participating in an outdoor family, friends and community event is not just about showcasing products or services, it’s about creating experiences and building lasting relationships.”
Tanner-Moore said the event afforded her the opportunity to network with other vendors and reunite with family and friends. “It’s engaging in meaningful conversations, which help to showcase creativity, strength, unity and diversity,” she said. “The host Undra Gray is truly a blessing to the community for brainstorming such an awesome idea along with other prominent individuals who served on the planning committee and helped birth this amazing event and bring it to fruition. With the use of vendors, this event aimed to promote products or services but also to enhance the overall experience of attendees, making the event memorable for families, friends and the wider community.”
Greenwood City Councilman Charles E. McCoy Sr. shares the excitement that ISG brings to the city, particularly to Ward 4, which he represents and where the park is located.
“It’s a great event, a family occasion and one of the best things that happens to Greenwood,” he said. “It’s a good thing for the city, good thing for the community and a good thing for sales tax and revenue. Everyone is talking about it in anticipation. People can’t wait.”
John McWilliams, the transplant to Texas, plans to attend again this year and sees the importance of the event.
“It's needed because so many times people only hear about the negative things that occur in our city,” he said. “To be able to have an event that shows the positivity, the love, the smiles, the laughter and the hugs, it brings the community together.
“In a world where we still see so much division, it's great to come back to where it all started for so many of us that attend. So I look forward to grabbing my lawn chair, laughing and talking with my Greenwood family, taking pictures for a snapshot of the memories and helping to foster a weekend of positivity and love!”
This year, ISG will be May 25 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Whittington Park. It’s free and open to the public to attend and set up tables and tents.
- This article first appeared in Leflore Illustrated, a quarterly magazine published by The Greenwood Commonwealth.
