JUNETEENTH … IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“The struggle for freedom and human dignity in this revolution is still black people’s burden and white people’s shame. We are tired of racism, and we want everyone to know that Black Lives Matter is more than a slogan. We recognize Juneteenth (June 19th) as the day when all black people finally learned they were freed from slavery. Our hope is that Juneteenth will soon be known and celebrated as the time we were finally freed from racism.”
— Pamelya Herndon,
President, New Mexico Black Caucus; first vice president, NAACP Albuquerque
“Art is activism. What people will experience throughout all these Juneteenth events is the expression, not only of their First Amendment rights, but of the intersection of arts and criticism. It’s nothing new. Like Aretha Franklin told us, music is the soundtrack to civil rights. All the arts are that. Our art is the backbone of our expression for activism. It’s interesting and unique that our arts are being influenced by the current times and the arts are part of the process of bringing up these discussions of equality, justice and freedom.”
— Devont’e Watson,
activist; Economic Development Committee co-chair of the New Mexico State Conference NAACP; owner/consultant for Watson & Associates International LLC
“Juneteenth is the true Black Emancipation Day, and freedom should always be celebrated. Since so few white people were raised knowing what Juneteenth is, it should make them ask, ‘What else wasn’t I taught about the history of my fellow Americans?’ Blacks have been in New Mexico since the 1500s. We raised generations here, built towns here, farmed, served in the military, built businesses and thrived. We are rooted here; we are part of what makes New Mexico so enchanting!”
— Tonya Covington,
Peacemakers Consulting, mediator for restorative justice; former president, New Mexico Mediation Association
“I think this is the time for young black artists to really show their craft. It’s kind of a wake-up call for more people to see who we are and what we contribute in the arts and community. It’s been a jolt for America, uncovering who we are, and the whole world gets to see our art, our performance, our literature. They’re taking our contributions and putting them in their homes and exposing themselves to our culture.”
— Joby Mitchell Wallace,
AAPAC president of the board; founder, African American Health Network; consultant and counselor
“Although our numbers as African Americans in New Mexico may not be as large as other states, if we come together as a collective and move together, we can also hold some political power in our state. I would love for New Mexico to be a trailblazer in the fight for equality and justice, all while leading the way and changing laws that have been in place and out-of-date for countless years.”
— Arthur Bell,
photographer/activist; co-organizer of Juneteenth Weekend celebrations
“I performed at a Juneteenth concert in Albuquerque a few years ago, and it was a really memorable experience. My favorite thing about Juneteenth is the unity and positive energy we cultivate as a community. It’s important for our community to engage in Juneteenth because not a lot of (people) even know about it, and it’s not really taught in school. I hope that as we continue to make history as a community, we can educate each other, increase awareness and use our history to unite.”
— Chloe Nixon,
performer, student, activist
“Juneteenth is particularly relevant today because it acknowledges that black people are still under siege by the forces of white supremacy and anti-black sentiments in our day-to-day lives. Even though black people are ‘free’ within the letter of the law, the spirit of the law and continued hostility toward us says otherwise. We are continuing to work together to reveal to the world these injustices, and to ensure that we and future generations can live in a truly liberated world for black people.”
— Kindra Hill,
project coordinator, New Mexico Black Leadership Council; liaison for Albuquerque’s Mayor’s Creative Youth Corps
“The importance, as I began to learn, is that Juneteenth really speaks about again another delay of justice for African Americans in our country and the importance of remembering that we had to wait to even celebrate our own freedom because those who were in power were not anxious to make us aware of our liberty. That’s why it’s important for us to remember that we need to be aware of what’s available to us. Juneteenth is a reminder to know our rights and not trust that people in power will always communicate with us what is available for us and what are our rights as citizens, because many of them don’t see us as full citizens.”
— Bishop David Cooper,
pastor, New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church, Albuquerque