Cultural group sets Juneteenth celebration

TORRINGTON — Our Culture is Beautiful is holding a Juneteenth celebration Sunday on Main Street, and even though it’s Father’s Day, organizers are hoping for a good turnout.

This year, Tequanna’s Soul Food and Sweets at 21 Main St. is the start and end point for the celebration, according to OCIB founder Angaza Mwando.

He acknowledged that Juneteenth is also Father’s Day this year, and therefore might mean a smaller crowd.

“It’s Father’s Day, and it’s a time for people to spend with their families,” Mwando said. “We’ve got to celebrate dad.”

Sunday’s celebration starts at 3:30 p.m. at the restaurant, with readings and a welcome talk, followed by prayers, African drumming, poetry and speeches.

After that, guests can take a walking tour that ends in the parking lot at Trinity Church on Prospect and Water streets, with a balloon release and a closing prayer. Guests then can walk back to Tequanna’s for refreshments.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is also often observed for celebrating African American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1866.

In June 2021, OCIB and other organizations joined up to hold their first Juneteenth celebration in Torrington, with a day of events — an afternoon of speeches, dance, drumming and music on Water Street, where artist Ben Keller painted a mural with the faces of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., poet Amanda Gorman and abolitionist John Brown, a city native.

The public art project is part of a larger effort across the state, led by RiseUp, a Hartford-based arts organization. RiseUP partnered with the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council and OCIB for the project; it now is part of RiseUP’s mural tour,

The mural, which is on the side of the brick-faced WAPJ radio station building, overlooks Water Street and the KidsPlay Children’s Museum parking lot.

Last year, OCIB raised $7,500 for the mural, and the money was matched dollar for dollar by Sustainable CT. The funding was used to pay the artist, and for supplies and other expenses. The Arts & Culture Commission, the Northwest CT Arts Council, the Torrington Downtown Partners, KidsPlay, and Culture4ACause were some of the sponsoring organizations, as well as Torrington Savings Bank.

Emily M. Olson / Hearst Connecticut Media Juneteenth will be celebrated June 19 at Tequanna’s Soul Food & Sweets, 21 Main St., Torrington. The event was celebrated in the city for the first time in 2021 with a celebration and mural installation on Water Street.