| "We selected this theme because at this time in this country, so many people do feel the despair more than they feel the hope with all of the natural disasters we've had like Hurricane Katrina," Adams Winston said during an interview with The Capital City Hues. "Also the health disparity issue and the widening of the minority student achievement gap get to the point where some people say they don't feel they can really make a difference and do something about these problems. And so, they don't do anything. They go to the movies or whatever. We want people to feel hope and then, if each of us does something, it will make a difference in our community." This year's event, which will be held June 16 at Penn Park on Madison's south side, should take the annual festival to new heights. Fabu Carter Mogaka has been retained as a consultant to oversee the planning of the festival to ensure that each facet of the festival will reflect the theme of the event and measure up to the quality that Weatherby and Adams Winston expect. Eight tents will be spread throughout the grounds to house the children and teen areas, church activities, heritage exhibits and demonstrations, craft and food vendors and community organization information booths. The Main Tent will feature the performing arts talent of Madison's African American community all afternoon. The Health tent will have the American Red Cross' mobile blood unit attached to it and will feature health screenings provided by area healthcare professionals. A parade kicks off the festivities at 10 a.m. There's also a mini-basketball tournament that will also give kids pointers on how to improve their game. And don't forget the food vendors who will be serving up barbeque and many other soul food classics. The Juneteenth celebration is a community event that is as big as the community support that helps implement it. Volunteers are always welcome. "We have our meetings every Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club on Taft Street from noon to 1:30 p.m.," Winston said. "We invite members of the community to come out and help with the planning for Juneteenth, especially if they have a particular expertise in areas like health, Black history, or children's activities. We have a lot of different things that are happening at Juneteenth, and have happened over the past 17 years. Each year, we want it to be better than before. If someone has ideas, we'd love to hear them. We want people to help us make each area special." While Juneteenth used to be a small celebration that the co-chairs could almost pull off themselves with a little help from their families, last year's event attracted 15,000 people according to Adams Winston and seems to get bigger each year. Adams Winston is especially appreciative of the corporate and business partners who have helped make past festivals successful through their financial support and the involvement of their employees in implementing the festival. The volunteer opportunities start on the Friday before Juneteenth as the tents are delivered around noon and the festival grounds are prepared for the next day. And the volunteerism can continue on through Saturday night when the festival grounds are cleaned up and returned to their pre-festival condition. An extra pair of hands is always welcome. Weatherby and Adams Winston are volunteers, hard to believe with the effort they put into the festival each year. "I think Juneteenth is something that got into Annie's and my blood," Adams Winston said with a laugh. "After 18 years, we're still here. Thank God for that! We don't ever want to see the event stop because it is so positive. We'd love to one day hand it over to someone. I feel we are grooming a few people now. They may not know they are being groomed, but we're getting them ready and trying to get them as excited as we are each year." If your group or business would like more information about becoming a sponsor, a craft or food vendor, or setting up an information table, call 257-2606, ext. 213 and leave a message or e-mail the Juneteenth Coordinator, Tanika Wilson Kromah at tkromah1@yahoo.com. |
| Madison's 18th Annual Juneteenth Day Celebration: Choose Hope Over Despair By Jonathan Gramling |
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| (Above l-r) Co-Chairs Annie Weatherby and Mona Adams Winston |
| While Madison's Juneteenth Day celebration was first established 18 years ago by co-chairs Annie Weatherby and Mona Adams Winston to commemorate the date, June 19, 1865, when the last group of slaves heard that they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, it has evolved into a general celebration of African American culture and contributions to America. And while its fare is generally fun, informative and entertaining, its theme is always chosen with care to reflect the state of Black America. This year's theme, "At the Crossroads: We Choose Hope Over Despair," is no different. |
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