Happy Juneteenth!

Juneteenth For Mazie by Floyd Cooper

Today we celebrate the struggles, hopes and dreams of those who came before us. Floyd Cooper shares the history and significance of the day with young people in his book, Juneteenth for Mazie. We have come a long way and still have a long way to go but today we celebrate our accomplishments and our vision for the future. Happy Juneteenth!

Juneteenth: Celebrating The African American Independence Day

"But, if this part of our history could be told in such a way that those chains of the past, those shackles that physically bound us together against our wills could, in the telling, become spiritual links that willingly bind us together now and into the future - then that painful Middle Passage could become, ironically, a positive connecting line to all of us whether living inside or outside the continent of Africa..."

                                                                                                                Tom Feelings

We can only imagine the joy, jubilation and trepidation of our  ancestors on June 19, 1865  when Major General Granger  rode into Galveston, Texas and informed everyone that slavery was abolished.  We know that it left enough of an impression that the day is still commemorated today. Juneteenth has become the independence day for African Americans.

One of the first things that the newly freed slaves did was to thank God and begin looking for family.  In that spirit Juneteenth has continued to be a day of thanksgiving, prayer service, bringing together family, connecting with the past and celebrating our accomplishments.

This year 2019 is especially important because it will mark the 154th year of celebrating Juneteenth and represents the 400th anniversary – 1619 – of when enslaved Africans arrived in Hampton, Virginia aboard a Dutch ship.  Juneteenth Celebrations will be held will be across the country this weekend. Check your local historic societies and museums for more information. Here are

a few listings:

The Johnson House Historic Site -6306 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 (215) 438-1768 continues a 13-year tradition with its Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival, a free day of cultural and educational presentations vendors and performances including a Children's Village, a street festival, and a Beer and Hard Cider Garden on Saturday, June 15 from noon to 7pm.

10th Annual Juneteenth Heritage Festival - Join Black Arts LA for their 10th year celebrating one of the greatest events in American history on June 15-16 from noon - 6pm!  Bring  family and  friends to enjoy the 2-day free outdoor festival showcasing outstanding work from fine artists, fashion & jewelry designers and food artists as well as enjoy great music.  Be sure to visit their History/Inventors area, Health Village, and Technology Tent.  Fun for the whole family!In Leimert Park Village, Degnan Blvd & 43rd Street, Los Angeles 90008.

2019 Juneteenth Rhythm & Blues Celebration at Mills Park in Carson - The City of Carson invites everyone to enjoy Classic Cars, Food, Live Entertainment and Fun Games for the kids on June 15 from 11am - 6pm. At Mills Memorial Park, 1340 E. Dimondale Dr., Carson, CA 90746

(310) 631-3130.

32nd Annual Berkeley CA Juneteenth Festival! - Adeline St. at Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA. The Juneteenth Festival is held annually in June in South Berkeley’s 5-block Alcatraz-Adeline Corridor with performances, children's events, fashion, art and basketball on June 16 from 11am-7pm.

Juneteenth Celebration - Nautilus Playground- W. 30th St. & W. 32nd St, Brooklyn, NY - join NYC Parks, Alvin Ailey Extension, and NYC Council Member Mark Treyger as we commemorate the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States. This wonderful event will feature music, dance and community performances on June 19, 2019 from 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

10th Annual Juneteenth 2019 Festival - "Back to the Future" - in Brooklyn, NY at Gershwin Park, 800 Van Siclen Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11207 There will be vendors selling crafts and food (really good food), activities for kids, games for parents and their children, a wonderful showcase, great raffle prizes and Trivia about the African American journey. Enjoy the parade on June 15 from 11am - 6pm.

Mama K's Team 4: Netflix's First Original African Animated Series -

Parents who have been looking for children's programs that reflect the diversity and cultural heritage of Africa will be interested in Netflix's latest project.

As part of its growing acquisition of content from Africa, Netflix has announced its first original African animated series.  Mama K's Team 4 tells a story of four teenage girls living in a futuristic version of Lusaka, Zambia's capital city. The girls are recruited by an ex-secret agent to save the world.

Designed by Cameroonian artist Malcolm Wope, the animation drew inspiration for the visuals from retro 90s hip hop girl groups, Netflix said in a statement announcing the deal.  It was written by Zambian writer, Malenga Mulendema who was one of the eight winners of the 2015 Triggerfish Story Lab initiative, a talent hunt for African storytellers. 

Mulendema says she grew up watching cartoons and wondered why none of the heroes looked like her. "In creating a superhero show set in Lusaka, I hope to introduce the world to four strong African girls who save the day in their own fun and crazy way. Most importantly, I want to illustrate that anyone from anywhere can be a superhero," she said in the Netflix statement.

The monetary success of Black sci fi movies like Black Panther have sparked an interest in companies like Netflix expanding their market to Africans and African Americans.  Mama K’s Team 4 is designed to particularly target Black families on a global level. This is a market that has been overlooked, and will give young Black children an opportunity to see themselves on screen. Netflix is also planning to use their platform to find the next generation of African women writers.

The series is produced by award-winning South Africa based studio, Triggerfish Animation, and London based kids and family entertainment specialist, CAKE.

Paine College Offering Free Summer Classes in Chemistry

Paine College  Announces Free Chemistry Class
Augusta, Georgia

Paine College announced that it is once again offering its free six-week chemistry course and registration is now open for middle and high school students in the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area). The class will begin on June 5, 2019, and run through July 11.

Dr. Sardar Yousufzai,Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Physics & Environmental Sciences at Paine College and Minority Affairs Chairperson of the Savannah River Section of the American Chemical Society, will teach this free summer class. The popular course offers students an opportunity to gain exposure to the basic concepts of chemistry and includes both instruction and demonstration.

By fostering learning opportunities for pre-college-age students, Dr. Yousufzai's class hopes to pass on his own fascination with science – a fascination he acquired at an early age. His teaching style is designed to help students see basic scientific concepts in practical terms, to simplify the learning process. As he told Diverse Issues in Higher Education in 2016, "I make chemistry like a pie, so easy to eat, so easy."

The program has proved its worth over the years, with many of its participants going on to pursue careers in science-related fields – including dental and medical school. 

Paine College is a private, historically black Methodist liberal arts college in Augusta, Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

The six-week program offers classes for middle school students on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 10:40 AM to 11:30 AM. High school student class times are Tuesday and Thursday, 10:40 AM to 11:30 AM. All classes are held at Paine College Campus in Haygood-Holsey Room 220. Registration is now open.

For more information visit:

https://www.paine.edu/web/mycampus/home/-/journal_content/56/10217/157969

Celebrate Pinkster - The Oldest African American Holiday

Pinkster at Philisburg Manor

Step into the rhythms and get swept up in this springtime holiday featuring continuous performances of African drumming, dancing, and storytelling. Experience a recreation of a colonial cross-cultural event known as Pinkster, first celebrated in the Hudson Valley in the 17th century.

Pinkster was a holiday celebrated by the Dutch on Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter. African American slaves adopted the holiday and put their own cultural spin on the festivities. Today, Pinkster is recognized as the oldest African American holiday in the United States, celebrated since the colonial period. The African cultural influence on Pinkster dates from the fifteenth century in the Bantu regions of Congo and Angola.

On May 18, 2019 from 10 am to 5 pm, Philipsburg Manor - 381 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, New York 10591 will share and reenact this holiday for families.

Learn a new dance step, move to an age-old rhythm, listen to the melodious strings of the kora, enjoy African folktales, and taste akkra (West African pea fritters). Visitors of all ages are invited to join the parade, dance step across the plank, and elect next year’s Pinkster King or Queen. Throughout the historic site, learn about the accomplishments of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and worked at Philipsburg Manor. Celebrated author Michael Twitty, winner of the James Beard Book of the Year Award in 2018, will be reading and signing copies of "The Cooking Gene: A Journey through African-American Culinary History in the Old South" in the New World Dutch Barn.

Stop by the Visitor Center to experience People Not Property: Stories of Slavery in the Colonial North. This groundbreaking interactive documentary reveals the scope of Northern slavery through the individual stories of those who were enslaved.

Philipsburg Manor began celebrating Pinkster in 1977, making this event the longest-running authentic recreation of Pinkster in North America. Tickets are $14; $12 for seniors; $8 for children 3-17 and are available online at: https://hudsonvalley.org/events/celebrate-pinkster.

On Saturday, June 15, 2019 from 12 PM – 4 PM African Burial Ground National Monument - 290 Broadway, New York, New York 10007 will also celebrate Pinkster.

Since the 1970s, New Yorkers have resurrected Pinkster festivals in New York and throughout the surrounding areas. Celebrate New York’s vibrant African American history and culture at one of New York City’s most sacred sites.

The African Burial Ground National Monument and the African American Pinkster Committee of New York (AAPCNY) invite the general public to a commemorative celebration featuring the pouring of libations, lectures, songs, performances, reading of proclamations, and the laying of flowers on the burial mounds.

For information on AAPCNY or to become involved, please contact (646) 559-2218.

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Women's History Month

                                           A portrait of Serena Williams by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair, 2017.

This has certainly been a new era for African American woman. Last year, Black celebrity image makers have taken their message to a new level. While the women of "Hidden Figures" and "Girl Trip" did their thing at the box office, and Sloan Stephens and Venus dominated the tennis court. This year the women of Wakanda have provided us with diverse "Black Girl Power" images. While  Beyonce and Serena are taking Black motherhood to another level.  Their message is clear, we are strong, in charge and celebrating the joys of motherhood.

A message not taken lightly considering the problematic history of African American women.  For almost three hundred years, they endured rape and abuse, and were forced to abandon their children while they nursed and raised other people's children. The pain and stress of their condition is still fresh in their DNA. In spite of this legacy, they have also been the pillar of their community choosing to be over comers.

Declaring that Black Motherhood is something to celebrate can only be the first step toward addressing the needs of raising African American children and nurturing their mothers.  Now we need to focus on healthcare issues in the African American community like the high rate of maternal and infant mortality, low breastfeeding participation; the discrepancy in educational opportunities, financial problems, poverty, and mental depression.

Even with all their success both Serena and Beyonce have acknowledged the challenges of motherhood to both their bodies and their spirit.

The Boy Who Harnesses The Wind

These times call for stories that encourage and inspire. Children have their pick of superheroes but sometimes they need stories of real heroes, and the hope they bring. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor gives us the story of a real young hero in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, premiering on NETFLIX in March. 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the true story of thirteen-year-old William Kamkwamba who inspired by a science book, against all the odds, invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine in Malawi. His story is emotional, encouraging and inspirational. A story that the whole family can see and share together.