CINCINNATI — Over four days, a mix of culture, community, and celebration, is bringing families from across the country to Ohio. Cincinnati’s annual "Black Family Reunion" started Thursday morning. It's the longest-running event of its kind and it all started with a job fair. 

Ahmed Rennie is double checking his resume because Thursday was the day he was hoping to find work after years of trying.

"I had a personal issues with my mom, so I had to drop out of work for a while, so now she's passed back into there looking for a new job," said Rennie. 

That’s why he was the first in line, but he’s not alone. He’s going to be competing with 600-plus registered applicants trying to find work. 

“Just hope that the companies that are hiring will do some hiring," said Rennie. 

Recruiters like Taku Chikwati said they’re looking for diverse applicants with strong work ethic.

“It's good to give opportunities to everybody in the community, people from all backgrounds. we have a diversified workforce to ‘Kao,'" said Chikwati. 

It’s part of the reason he set up shop at Cincinnati Music Hall to fill his spots. He's one of the about 90 recruiters and companies trying to do the same.

“The number of companies is down slightly the way the economy is now, but the candidates are up. that's just the way the rollercoaster goes with this. So but no, we've had having 90 companies in this in this economy with with with unemployment being slightly higher is great," said Superior Career Fairs President Bob Westercamp. 

The job fair is the first in a series of events, from parades to cultural shows that are a part of Cincinnati’s "Black Family Reunion." It's an event that’s bringing families together, and bringing resources and jobs to families hoping for a step up.

“I think they need to do more," said Rennie. 

Cincinnati’s "Black Family Reunion" will be going on through the weekend. For a detailed list of events and dates, click here.