Juneteenth Fort Wayne 2021 #UnityintheCommunity

Greetings,

Juneteenth is an important Afrikan American inspirational symbol. It marks the end of legal slavery in the USA, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 01/01/1863. The proclamation only freed persons enslaved by the rebelling states of the Confederacy. Freedom has never been free! And freedom on paper is easiuly tossed aside. We have a history of being tossed. Only our collective effort will end that disregard. Since June 19, 1865 our Ancestors and their generations have struggled for a modicum of liberty, without justice, that would obtain to all. Juneteenth reminds us that the struggle continues.  

Here in Fort Wayne this 156th celebratory year is particularly significant. It marks the first time a Black Community Collaborative has united to recognize, organize, and stage this celebration. For the 15 years prior to the 2020 covid shutdown, Juneteenth was inspired, organized, and conducted by three Black Weisser Park Center Park employees, Ms. Zynette Paige, Ms. Camille Curry and Ms. Costella Mack. The Center under their leadership and former director Kweku Akan is an historic Black consciousness incubator and Juneteenth insurgency. It’s now time for the Black community to take on its own celebration and liberation. 

During the pandemic, when Parks & Reec sites were closed, intrepid young leaders picked up the tradition and staged Juneteenth on Fairfield Avenue. This year they have organized and led a communitywide collaboration. The Juneteenth Collaborative is comprised of more than 35 representative organizations, community groups and institutions, Elders and young activists, and local Black politicians. The Collaborative’s mission is to connect leaders and organizations that embody a collective consciousness for community welfare and events; locally and abroad. This year’s celebration will span the week June 13th to June 19th.   

 Unity in the Community needs you to step up. The Collaborative needs your strong, enthusiastic support to stage this weeklong celebration. Our goal is to raise $15,000 in two-and-a-half weeks. To do so we need your active financial and social support. Contribute whatever you can to the campaign. Tell your family members, friends, coworkers, church, and neighborhood community about Junetenth. Ask them to contribute and support the Unity in Community Collaborative Campaign. Share the event and campaign on your social media page(s), send out email blasts, make announcements in your barbershop, beauty salon, church, exercise venue, and wherever people gather. We need you before, at the events, and after gearing up for the coming year. The Collaborative is not a one-off. We’re already planning to continue, deepen and strengthen the community collaboration. JOIN US! 

For more information on our week-long events, please visit

https://www.facebook.com/groups/251265766693821