Last week Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Juneteenth Gala hosted by the Amistad Center at the Wadsworth Museum in Hartford, CT. The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, founded in 1987, owns and exhibits a collection of fine art, artifacts and popular culture objects that documents the experience, expressions and history of people of African descent. You can read more about my recent visit to the center here.
They hosted the Juneteenth Gala this year and it was an evening filled with rich history, story telling and community. The night began with an awards reception where Linda J. Kelly and Arien Wilkerson were honored for their continued contribution to the community. There was also a beautiful performance from a duo of the Hartford City Ballet and performance from Arien Wilkerson as well. Below are some images from the evening.
In case you didn’t know, Juneteenth – is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Most people are familiar with the history and celebration behind the Fourth of July. However, in 1776 when the United States became free, African American people were not freed from slavery at that time.
Africa American people were not declared free for another 87 years. And even still, it took an additional 2 years beyond Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation for the last enslaved people to be set free in Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865.
In between the scheduled program of events, there was live jazz music, raffle prizes and dancing later in the evening. During dinner, Linda J.Kelly sat at my table with her brother and we conversed and shared a few laughs over delicious food. It was pleasure to formally meet Linda and Arien and I appreciate every thing they’ve done and continue to do for the community. It was a great event held at the Wadsworth, learning about the history of Juneteenth, honoring influential people and celebrate a pivotal day in African American history.
Thank you to the Amistad Center for a wonderful evening.
xo Yinka
Thank you, yinka! We love this!
THank you for having me!