Johnson, Buckner, Hudson & Wiggins Family Reunion Celebrates 70 Years of Faith, Legacy and Excellence

Descendants Return to Virginia to Honor Their Ancestors During the Platinum 70th Anniversary Family Reunion

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, July 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Seventy years ago, family elders established a tradition rooted in faith, family, and the belief that every generation should know where they came from. Today, the Johnson, Buckner, Hudson & Wiggins (JBHW) Family Reunion celebrates its 70th Anniversary—a remarkable milestone few family reunions, regardless of race or ethnicity, ever achieve.

While many reunions last only a generation, the JBHW Family Reunion has flourished for seven decades, becoming one of America's enduring African American family reunion traditions. Even more remarkable, the family has preserved extensive genealogical records, oral histories, church archives, military records, photographs, and historical documents connecting today's descendants to ancestors whose stories trace to the earliest generations brought to America.

From July 17–19, 2026, descendants from across the nation will gather at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, for "A Platinum Celebration: 70 Years Rooted in History, United in Love." Returning to the Virginia/DMV region is especially meaningful because much of the family's documented American story began there.

The family's legacy is rooted in four foundational African American lineages. Robert Johnson, born in Africa in 1820, is remembered for his courage, faith, and devotion to family. Rolly Buckner, born in Rankin, Mississippi, in 1810, became the matriarch of the Buckner lineage. Charles Hudson, born in Tennessee in 1815, was the father of Charles "Charlie" Hudson, who enlisted in the Union Army on January 1, 1864, serving in the 6th Mississippi Colored Infantry, later redesignated as the 58th United States Colored Infantry Regiment. The Wiggins lineage traces to Mariah Ellis, born in Maryland in 1811, whose daughter Serena Ellis became the mother of Earlene Wiggins Hudson and Joe Wiggins with Dan Wiggins.

The Johnson, Buckner, Hudson, and Wiggins families became united through generations of marriages. Around 1901, Rev. Clarence Buckner married Julia Johnson, creating the first documented connection between the Johnson and Buckner families. The bond deepened when Rev. John Wesley Johnson, Julia's brother, married Julia Calhoun, daughter of Rebecca Buckner Calhoun, Clarence Buckner's aunt. Later, two sisters Marie Buckner and Julia Kate Buckner married brothers Percy Hudson, Sr. and Eugene Hudson, Sr., while their sister Laura Bell Buckner married George Washington Hudson, and Vida Mae Dondle (niece of Marie and Julia Kate) married William Hudson. Together, these unions formed the enduring Johnson, Buckner, Hudson, and Wiggins family celebrated today.

Founded on July 4, 1956, the reunion was held annually at Pleasant Gift Church from 1956 through 1992. Founded by Rev. Clarence Buckner and later pastored for more than 49 years by his son, Rev. Robert Buckner, the church became the spiritual home of the reunion. In 1992, the family held its first reunion weekend in Oak Brook, Illinois. Since then, they have gathered annually across the United States, Puerto Rico, on a family cruise, and during the COVID-19 pandemic through virtual reunions and socially distanced family cookouts.

"Our family history is not simply something we remember—it is something we actively preserve," said Donald Hudson, Chief Historian of the JBHW Family Reunion. "Every reunion reconnects generations, documents our genealogy, and ensures our ancestors' stories continue to inspire those who follow."

"For seventy years, our reunion has honored our past while inspiring future generations to carry our legacy forward," said Pamela White Curb, Reunion Leader.

The family's commitment to preserving its legacy continues through the JBHW Foundation, Inc., which promotes family history, scholarships, education, and community service.

Today, the Johnson, Buckner, Hudson, and Wiggins legacy lives through descendants who include Ph.D. educators and theologians, pharmacists, attorneys, state representatives, mayors, Fortune 500 executives, teachers, social workers, public policy advocates, law enforcement officers, members of every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, nonprofit executives, pastors, preachers, professional musicians, award winning entertainers, entrepreneurs, inventors, engineers, real estate investors, public relations executives, accountants, physicists, biomedical scientists, nurses, chefs, computer scientists, fashion designers, graduates of HBCU's and PWI's, HBCU queens, and members of the Divine Nine. Their accomplishments reflect generations of perseverance, educational excellence, servant leadership, innovation, and an enduring commitment to strengthening communities across the nation.

As the Johnson, Buckner, Hudson & Wiggins Family returns to Virginia to celebrate seventy years of reunion traditions, they do so with profound gratitude for the ancestors whose faith, sacrifice, resilience, and vision made this moment possible.

Marita Hudson Thomas
JBHW Family Media Contact
jbhwfam@gmail.com
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The JBHW Family History Project

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