Corresponding photo / Self-taught Sean Barron Autumn Ellis stands next to a mural by Ava DuVernay, perhaps best known as the director of the dramatic film Selma. Ellis’ artwork was on view at the Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday 2021 at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater.
YOUNGSTOWN – Olivia Barnes views last week’s June 10th declaration as a federal holiday as a major step forward in racial reconciliation and as a foundation on which to build.
“I am pleased that it is recognized; I feel like we’re making progress, ”remarked the Youngstown woman.
Barnes made her thoughts known when she attended the Juneteenth Celebration at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater on Saturday 2021.
The event, which celebrated the 156th anniversary of the end of slavery in the US, was cut short due to impending storms. The celebration was hosted by JAC Management, Wean Park, Loud 102.3 FM and the City of Youngstown.
The four-hour celebration also took place days after President Joe Biden signed a law last week making June the first federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was given such a designation.
Juneteenth recalls the events of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers under Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and read an order announcing that enslaved blacks were free. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, slavery in Texas continued largely unabated; In addition, Granger’s orders came two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia at the end of the Civil War in April 1865.
Barnes, who came with her 7-year-old son Capone Knox, said many people celebrated June 10th before it became a federal holiday. She also believes the nation is making progress in racial reconciliation, but hopes that smoldering issues such as police brutality are addressed. Barnes added that she would like to see more related local family-friendly events and educational opportunities.
During the celebration, Barnes also consulted with Autumn Ellis of Youngstown, a self-taught artist who had several acrylic paintings of black men and women on hand.
“I want my work to represent my culture, mostly black people,” said Ellis, who learned to draw as a child. “I try to represent them in the art world.”
Perhaps Ellis’ most prominent work at the event was her large-scale painting of Ava DuVernay, a filmmaker and producer perhaps best known for directing films such as Selma and Middle of Nowhere, who made her debut in 2008 with the Documentary “This is the Life” about the history of the hip-hop movement.
In addition to Ellis’ painting, a similarly sized local artist Yaseen Traylor was created, who portrayed singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
The June gathering also had many merchandise for sale, including a variety of T-shirts, scented candles and soaps, hats, beach bags, coffee, and beer mugs.
As solemn as the recognition of Juniteenth as a national holiday may be, work must continue to tackle systemic racism, police reforms and inequalities in education that disproportionately affect people of color, said event coordinator Charles Colvin.
Barriers preventing many blacks from achieving equality of opportunity remain firmly entrenched, he added.
“This is a call to action” to take care of each other in many neighborhoods and elsewhere, support those trying to make positive change in the community, and work with adults and youth to curb violence in the city, Guy said Burney, executive director of the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence.
In addition, City Kids Care Inc. and FAAM Coin, Youngstown’s first cryptocurrency company, were each presented a check for $ 500 for their contributions to the community.
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