Juneteenth JamboreeCommunity Block Party on the
Amherst Town Commons
June 19th, 2013, 1 pm
Organized by Sankofa Coalition
“Juneteenth Holiday Start of Summer Block Party Celebrating Human Rights”
On Wednesday, June 19, 2013 various Town of Amherst cultural and social justice organizations will come together to celebrate JUNETEENTH, that day in 1865 when the U.S. military issued general orders liberating people of African descent who were still enslaved in Texas, a former confederate state. In communities across our country the June 19th or “Juneteenth” annual celebration has become a popular event commemorating this momentous date in United States history.
The Amherst area's 2013 JUNETEENTH JAMBOREE spotlights African American culture and heritage while it celebrates freedom and human rights as an ongoing global project. Our Juneteenth Jamboree will mark this historic occasion with music, artistic performances, food, community recognition from the Sankofa Coalition, a newly organized coalition of community action groups followed by a special awards ceremony by the Amherst Human Rights Commission. The well-being and leadership development of area youth is the special theme of this year’s event.
Spoken Word artists from the Black History Month Unplugged event at UMass Amherst will get things going as students from the Amherst Regional High School’s Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) and People of Color United (POCU) serve as emcees for the event. ARHS' Tosh Foerster will speak at the event. Tosh is our local representative on the Governor's Statewide Youth Council, which has as its mission the inclusion of youth voices into the policy-making process to improve the lives of young people throughout the Commonwealth.
Performance presentations will also include Preecha Kungo and Igziabeher playing Roots Reggae music, 2050 Legacy performing a movement-musical piece of original poetry. TRGGR Media Collective will bring its unique “aesthetics of justice” hip hop music, and the New Africa House Ensemble will perform a jazz set.
The Sankofa Coalition is an outgrowth of previous efforts celebrating Juneteenth in the Pioneer Valley as well as other community action work. Three of its organizers serve in various civic roles in the area. Trevor Baptiste of Pelham and Amilcar Shabazz of Amherst are both members of the Amherst Regional School Committee, Edward Cage is the Vice President of the Amherst Branch National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). “We joined together,” Baptiste said, “to unite the community around the empowerment of our young people. This Juneteenth is for them to demonstrate their leadership and creativity in a spirit of peace, love, unity, and having fun.”
Ed Cage, who also helped to organize Juneteenth events in Springfield and Amherst over the past couple of years noted, “The Juneteenth Jamboree on the Commons will be a family event, an inter-generational block party. From our elementary students sharing what they learned about jazz in their music classes this year to our own nationally known griot, storyteller Onawumi Jean Moss, speaking to us, we are going to have a great time as we recognize great people doing great work in our community.”
The JUNETEENTH JAMBOREE will begin with deejay music at 1:00 pm and the formal program at 3:00. At about 5:30 the Amherst Human Rights Commission will hold its annual Heroism Award ceremony recognizing youth and elders.
In case of rain the Jamboree will move to the Amherst Regional High School.
For more information contact Amilcar Shabazz at (413) 545-1978 or email him atamilcarshabazz@gmail.com.