A Black artists market, a Frederick Douglass speech, a gospel brunch and a tapestry of music and poetry are among the events planned statewide celebrating Juneteenth — the day when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom in 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Burlington is set to celebrate Black history and talent at the city’s most comprehensive Juneteenth celebration yet. The Saturday lineup includes more than 50 performers and 12 hours of entertainment in and around City Hall Park.
Arrested Development was scheduled to be the headliner at the city event but pulled out Thursday after a member of the band fell ill. Slick Rick, an English-American rapper and record producer, is expected to replace the band, organizers said on Thursday.
For Kimberly Carson, celebrating Juneteenth is about highlighting the Black experience and righting the wrongs of Black Americans often being omitted from American history.
Carson, director of Burlington’s Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Department, said the programming gives the city an opportunity to uplift Black and brown talent and to “allow them to be seen and heard in their full authenticity,” not in the margins but in the center of the city.
The city events kick off at 11 a.m. with a gospel brunch led by the Rev. Mark Hughes from the New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church — the only Black church in Vermont.
That will be followed by art, music, comedy, community conversations, a sailing event and a community supper club spanning various downtown venues from City Hall Park to the Flynn Center stage. This year’s event includes an app, a shuttle service and a Black-owned production company tying it all together.
Luis Calderin, founder and chief creative strategist of Okay!! Okay!! Marketing & Creative, said he is excited to be the producer this year. He was a DJ in past celebrations, and Calderin said the extensive lineup this year “signals the city’s continued commitment to honor and celebrate Black Burlingtonians and the community overall.”
This year’s theme, embrace and belonging, is “a testament to Burlington’s commitment to inclusivity, unity, and community,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a press release. “As we gather on this important day, let us also reflect on our collective responsibility to foster an environment of understanding, respect, and equality for all Burlingtonians.”
Events around the state include:
- Bennington: Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. The Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union and local partners will collaborate and unite to host a family-friendly event at the supervisory union’s Central Office/Tuttle Lot, 113 Depot St.
- Brownington: Monday, 1-3 p.m. The Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village, 109 Old Stone House Road, will present a new exhibit, “A Call to Serve: Vermont and Unexpected Voices from the Civil War.” Free with light refreshments and a partial museum open house.
- Charlotte: Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Monday 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. “Freestyling our Futures” with 30 artists at Clemmons Family Farm, 2213 Greenbush Road. Requires advanced registration through website and mailing list.
- Essex: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. Music, food and entertainment at the Essex Experience Green.
- South Burlington: Monday, 6:30 p.m. Music, poetry, readings at the auditorium at 180 Market St.
- Winooski: Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Music, speakers, performances at Rotary Park.
“I think that it’s an opportunity to share history, especially the history of Black Americans,” said Christine Hughes, director at the Richard Kemp Center in Burlington. “There has been some progress that’s been made but there’s still a long way to go.”
“Although there is still much work to do to ensure that Black people everywhere are treated justly, it is wonderful to see much of the country and, in particular, several places in Vermont take a moment to recognize and celebrate the freedom of Black people in such a systematic manner,” said Steffen Gillom, president of the Windham County chapter of the NAACP.
Three years after George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement that catalyzed protests all over the world, much has been discussed about the systemic racism and implicit bias that Black Americans continue to face in every realm — from accessing housing and education to being disproportionately criminalized.
Data from the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance shows that almost 26% of the state’s Black residents are at or below the poverty level, that Black students are disproportionately suspended, and that Black drivers are disproportionately stopped and arrested. The median household income for Black Vermonters is just above $39,000 and about 24% of homes occupied by Black residents are owned by them.
As Vermont gears up for what some say is the biggest Juneteenth celebration to date, some worry about the purpose and intent.
While much has changed since he moved to Vermont 13 years ago, the challenge is to keep the commitment to racial equity consistent for substantive change to happen and to hold all humans collectively accountable, said Rajnii Eddins, a spoken word poet who is performing in Burlington on Saturday.
“This isn’t a one-off or a summertime protest or a camp that you visit periodically. This is a life change,” he said. “If it is not systemically transformative, then it’s always going to be performative because you have people who are more interested in the optic transformation than substantive transformation in power dynamics, which of course has to do with economic and political power.”
Juneteenth was a celebration for years among the Black community, and was declared a federal holiday in 2021. Vermont proclaimed Juneteenth Recognition Day in 2020 and several communities, including Burlington, now observe it as a paid holiday.
“We’re still in the struggle for freedom currently but I do think that it is an opportunity for us to emphasize that to say … that if you’re going to celebrate with us, you also have to struggle with us and for us,” Eddins said.
“So it can’t be just a cavalier, blind opportunity to gain seen post-racial reality without that actually being the reality. It has to be utilized, I think, as an opportunity to educate, empower and redouble our commitment to making sure that we’re actually seeking justice in an equitable society that recognizes the humanity of all of its citizens and members,” he said.
Understanding the importance of and celebrating Juneteenth is extremely important for an organization aiming to eradicate systemic racism, said Isaac Owusu, director of community engagement and support with the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance. Vermont has made important strides and this celebration is going to be a memorable one, especially after the pandemic and the realization after George Floyd that systemic racism is real and persistent in all walks of life, he said.
“We do want to lift up the city and commend them for what they’re doing and in collaboration can definitely make it more monumental,” he said, outlining an upcoming open house at the Richard Kemp Center on Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m. where Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele, CEO of the National Women in Agriculture Association, is expected to speak.
“We hope folks tune in, not just because it’s Juneteenth, but after that. We’re still going to be doing the work,” Owusu said.
