Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration at The Commonwealth
On Saturday, June 19, 2021, Sweet Water Foundation hosted its Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration at The Commonwealth. Being mindful of the continued need to protect the health and safety of the community, the 2021 Juneteenth Celebration was not broadly advertised and, instead, shared by word-of-mouth with neighbors, market-goers, and active partners across the network. The event welcomed more than 200 individuals from near and far to create, build, and celebrate freedom + community.
This Juneteenth, in particular, was a chance for members of the vast Sweet Water community and network to reunite after carefully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees included more than two dozen guests from SWF’s Values-Based Partners network representing community-based organizations from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Wayne, West Virginia. For many of these partners, it was the first opportunity to meet one another in person after almost a year of engaging in virtual meetings.
The community in attendance enjoyed arts & crafts, local vendors, workshops, farm fresh food, and live music presented in partnership with the Music Moves program of Old Town School of Folk Music. Each attendee received a We The Publics... “passport” booklet at registration containing the We The Publics… manifesto and pages to collect hand-carved stamps from each of the featured activities of the day. Once their booklets were filled, they received a Juneteenth t-shirt printed by the SWF team. Juneteenth was also brought to life via live music presented in partnership with the Music Moves program of Old Town School of Folk Music.
SWF looks forward to fully re-opening Juneteenth in 2022!
SWEET WATER FOUNDATION EXTENDS GRATITUDE TO ALL THOSE WHO JOINED IN THE CELEBRATION AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU! TO THOSE WHO MADE SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EVENT, INCLUDING:
THE SWF TEAM: Kayley Estoesta, Tusani Gates, Courtney Hug, Ali Kleiche, Amatullah Muhammad, Michelle Nordmeyer, Emmanuel Pratt, Jia Lok Pratt, Sumayyah Raji, Mike Reynolds, Danny Salomon, Sam Scardefield, David Snowdy, Rudy Taylor, Jr., and Amanda Wilkerson.
VOLUNTEERS who cooked, captured photo/video, teaching artists, vendors, and other helpers: Darren Cole, Michael Christiano, Katherine Davis, Karen “Becky” Fair, Constance Fullilove, Kate Mytty, Patrice Patterson of BeYOUtifully Abundant, Erik Peterson, and Yasamin Shaker.
PERFORMERS
Sherwin O (DJ) - Sherwin Ovid is a Trinidadian multimedia artist & DJ with a creative background rooted in filmmaking, painting and drawing. His work explores the limits of social boundaries and their perpetual transformation. He strives to use his work as a means of creative intervention to incite social awareness.
Rebel Betty (DJ) - Rebel Betty is an AfroIndigenous Puerto Rican poet, multidisciplinary artist and cultural worker based in Chicago.Rebel is using a multidisciplinary approach to depict the magic and movement of Black, Brown and Indigenous communities and to trace back ancestral forms of resistance and culture through storytelling and archiving moments in history.
Bomba con Buya - Bomba con Buya is a Chicago-based ensemble that aims to preserve and advance bomba. Developed during the 18th century among the island's African descendants, Bomba is Puerto Rico's oldest surviving music and dance form. Buya means ‘good spirit’ in Taino, and the group strives to embody this idea. Bomba con Buya released Buya Live in 2015 and Southern Sessions in 2019.
Beat Orchestra Workshop with AFRORACK (Workshop + Demo) - AFRORACK™ is an audio arts organization that aims to help the community develop and thrive through technology resources. They are committed to providing youth and young adults of color access to modular synthesizers and sound design tools.