The National Council of Meridianites, Inc. had its beginning in the mid-1960s after several Meridianites reunited at the funeral of a friend in Detroit. Because the friends had not seen each other in over ten years, they decided to plan more fellowship gatherings in the future, which eventually became regular events.The first Meridianites picnic was held in Detroit, Michigan, in 1967. The idea for the picnic originated from a group of friends; *Lucile Kennedy Jackson, *Steve Jackson, and *Annie B. Kennedy Horton, who lived in Detroit; MI, and *Curtis Cole, *Lessie Hill Cole, and Clarice May Thomas, who lived in Cleveland, OH. It was during the bereavement of a dear friend, *Amos Ruffin, in Detroit, Michigan that this idea came into being. Many of those attending the funeral services had not seen each other for more than a decade. The reunion and fellowship, though on a sad occasion, sparked the idea to initiate plans for more frequent gatherings. Originally, the picnic alternated between Detroit, MI and Cleveland, OH.

However, from the beginning, other cities participated. Soon, cities began forming chapters consisting of Meridianites’ and their friends. As the idea spread, so did the chapters. It’s important to know that the members in the cities hosting the first eight picnics worked very hard raising funds to pay for the festivities and there were no costs to the participants.