|
The LWVMC joined several hundred people on June 20 who came out to celebrate Juneteenth at the 13 Ave. Dream Center in Bradenton. Despite the heat, participants enjoyed the food trucks, vendors, music and community groups who came out to mark the holiday.
Juneteenth National Independence Day, which became a federal holiday in 2021, celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from slavery – which occurred two and a half years earlier in the United States.
The event was sponsored by Dr. Sharon Jefferson, director of the Freedom Leadership Academy and R.E.C.E.S.S. Education, Inc. It was designed to “bring together the community” and “create a space to focus on freedom,” Jefferson explained. Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown concurred that the event is designed to “bring together people” from the community and make the next generation aware of the day’s significance. In addition to Jefferson and Brown, the crowd heard brief remarks from Manatee County School Board member Heather Felton and from County Commissioner Amanda Ballard, who urged celebrants to “remember where we’ve been” and “where we’re still going.”
A bouncy castle entertained children, and a book display of children’s library books urged people to take the books home, but reminded them to return them to the library when done. A number of vendors sold beautiful handcrafted items, and food vendors sold delicious barbequed ribs and Soul Food specialties.
During the festival, the LWVMC provided voter information and assisted with voter registration. Among the voter information groups was Alpha Kappa Alpha, another organization that works to make citizens “ready for voting,” according to Theresa Scott, president. AKA also engages with the Turning Point homeless shelter and prepares meals for food-insecure children under the Childhood Hunger Initiative Power Pack (CHIPP). A representative from Vote Riders was present to assists voters who needed assistance getting their IDs to vote.
Di Morgan, head of social justice for the Manatee Unitarian Universal Fellowship, had one booth. She said her group was there to let people know it is a “progressive social justice oriented” organization that is “welcoming to all.”
Other groups emphasized the importance of education, such as the Visible Men Academy, a boys’ charter school that highlights science, tech, reading and math, according to Naiema Frieson. ASALH, which promotes and teaches about Black history and culture, awards academic scholarships, and runs the Freedom School, was represented by Cyrano Cleaves and Rita Smith.
Florida, which was admitted to the union as a state on March 3, 1845, abolished slavery on May 20, 1865.
| 
