WORCESTER, Mass. – The weather was finally nice enough for Worcester to hold its annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, featuring live performances and space for local Black artists to showcase their work.
What You Need To Know
- Worcester held its annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday at Institute Park
- The festival featured live music, food, and a space for local Black artists to showcase their work
- Artists said their ancestors and culture play an important role in their creative ambitions
- The Juneteenth Festival had previously been scheduled for June 17, but was postponed due to inclement weather
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas to announce the end of the war and the freeing of all enslaved people two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
For Aretha Kharashqah, Galveston holds a personal connection. Her ancestors were from Texas, and she recently visited the city with her family.
“We were in the place where the Juneteenth proclamation was given out,” Kharashqah said. “Ancestors mean everything, I draw on them for all of my creations, and I just think today is very important, especially since in our country there are so many people who are trying to downplay Black history in America and cancel it or sweep it under the rug.”
All of the jewelry Kharashqah makes for her small business The Nefarious Strumpet has a story behind it. Among her many bracelets, she’s particularly fond of one which reads ‘I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.’
In her handmade jewelry, Kharashqah tells her own story of Black history, a story she felt a particularly strong connection to during her recent trip to Galveston.
“I try to put myself where my people would have been at that time,” Kharashqah said. “If you’ve ever heard the Juneteenth Proclamation, other than. ‘OK, you can do your life as your own,’ which was very hard for them to do, the proclamation just tells them basically. ‘Stay on the same plantation you’ve been owned on.”
Other Black artists said their work is all about focusing their energy into something positive.
Mina Molinari creates artwork for her small business ‘Resin Art by Mina’, and believes her creative side helps her deal with depression and anxiety, and she hopes her work helps others deal with their own mental health issues.
She said Saturday’s Juneteenth festival represented more than just a day or a point in history.
“It represents that people of color, us Black people, are not separate from anybody else,” Molinari said. “We’re here, we’re loud, we’re ready, we’re happy to be here, and we’re just like anybody else. I love that we have a huge event to commemorate that, and for other people to come around and learn what Juneteenth is and be educated about that.”
And sometimes, artists draw their inspiration from thousands of miles away.
Aimee Salmon, a recent college graduate, collects her materials from different parts of Africa to make dolls, handmade sandals and jewelry for ‘Positively Africana’.
“I was born and grew up in the Congo, and my work supports different African businesses and artists,” Salmon said. “When I bring my products here, it raises cultural awareness for African fashion. For me, Juneteenth means a lot, just rejuvenation of the history and embracing Blackness, Black culture and acknowledging what’s happened in the past for a better future.”
Prior to Saturday’s Juneteenth Festival, the City of Worcester held a Juneteenth flag raising, and the Worcester Branch NAACP hosted a reading of Frederick Douglas’ Fourth of July speech outside City Hall on Friday.
