九色视频

Chrzanowski said she and the other Juneteenth committee members selected performers who were storytellers to stay on the theme of 鈥淥ur Freedom! Our Story!鈥� Among them was Jeffrey Boston Weatherford, a children鈥檚 illustrator and performance poet from High Point, North Carolina.

鈥淐onnecting the culture is imperative,鈥� Weatherford said. 鈥淭hey call the United States the Melting Pot, but sometimes we act like it鈥檚 water and oil and not melting together, so it鈥檚 necessary.鈥�

When he wasn鈥檛 presenting on stage, Weatherford was manning a booth displaying his books alongside his mom, writer Carole Boston Weatherford, and his wife. Later in the event, he stepped into the museum, where his exhibition was on display.

The exhibition featured words and images from Carole and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford鈥檚 book titled 鈥淜in: Rooted in Hope,鈥� which reconstructed the history of the Weatherford family. The exhibition will be on display at the museum until June 29.

Outside of the museum, visitors could visit the vendor booths or enjoy a performance by several musical acts on stage.

St. Michaels High School student Ruby Fisher took to the stage to perform two songs and read two poems. She said her favorite part was seeing everyone鈥檚 faces and getting to share her voice.

Her third time at the festival, Fisher said she returns each year because of its importance.

鈥淚t helps to bring the community together, and it helps support history and how it needs to be remembered,鈥� Fisher said.

The Academy Art Museum partnered with Building African American Minds and the Frederick Douglass Honor Society to organize the celebration. Dina Daly, the Executive Director of BAAM, said the Juneteenth event is important because it teaches students to understand and appreciate the day鈥檚 history.

鈥淚 think for many years, only the Black community really knew about Juneteenth, or even some young kids didn鈥檛 really understand the meaning of Juneteenth,鈥� Daly said.

Juneteenth, which became a federal holiday in 2021, marks the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

To spread awareness of the history of Juneteenth, the Academy Art Museum holds an essay contest for middle and high school students. Leading up to the celebration, students had the opportunity to submit an essay about what Juneteenth means to the youth today, with the opportunity to win a cash prize.

鈥淚t gives them the opportunity to research it, to actually understand, and to put their thoughts into words that they can express themselves and then maybe they get an award,鈥� Daly said.

This year marked the Academy Art Museum鈥檚 14th annual Juneteenth Celebration, and Chrzanowski and Daly both agreed that the event was necessary, serving as an opportunity for locals to gather together and honor their history through a troublesome time.

鈥淭here are a lot of places that are now on these budget cuts, and they鈥檙e cutting Juneteenth as a celebration,鈥� Chrzanowski said. 鈥淏ut we continue to go strong.鈥�