Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  It was on June 19, 1865 that 2,000 Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved, some 250,000 in this state, were now free.  Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863.

June 19 became the day of celebration for black folks in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and other neighboring states. Juneteenth was made an official state holiday in Texas in 1972.  It is celebrated today with parades, picnics, parties, and other cultural gatherings in over 200 U.S. cities.

We will be having our annual Celebration for Juneteenth on Tuesday June 13th at 6:30 PM at Park Hill United Methodist Church.

Please note that we will start this month at 6:30 PM, a half hour earlier than usual.

For our celebration, we will have a "sponsored" pot luck. We are arranging to provide generous servings of fried catfish and spareribs. We are asking that each of you who are coming will bring along some complementary dishes to serve. We always look forward to the tasty favorites that folks bring to share!

Alas, we also have to ask that you contribute a donation to cover the costs. Our suggestion is that you donate $10 if you can afford it. Please don't let it stop you from coming if you cannot. Donate what your can; we want you to come!

Won't You Please RSVP to this invite by emailing to secondtuesdayraceforum@gmail.com  by Friday June 9th so we can place our food orders. Tell us how many guests you are bringing, and what dish you are going to bring in one of the categories below:

Veggie Side
Bread
Salads
Drinks : Strawberry or Red Pop
Vegetarian main dish (for vegetarian folks)
Dessert
Ice

Cups and Plates

Napkins, Knifes and Forks.
If you are reading this after June 9th, and you have not Replied, come anyway.
A final note: Denver's 2017 Juneteenth Music Festival will be held on Saturday June 17th in the 5 Points neighborhood.  Here is a link to their website:

 

http://juneteenthmusicfestival.com/

 

Reports from the White Privilege Conference in Kansas City

The theme this year for WPC 18 was “Organizing, Strategizing, Taking Action.  Deconstructing the Culture of White Supremacy and Privilege.” At least 20 people from Denver and the Second Tuesday Race Forum attended the conference, and some presented. They are excited to share with us in the May meeting some of the most impactful presentations and workshops they attended.  Then we will get to break into groups to explore in more detail some of the topics presented that came out of the conference.  This is a great opportunity for us to gain insights and strategies from a variety of topics.  We hope that other Denver area residents who attended may be able to join us for the first time.