Juneteenth Celebration

JUNETEENTH

DATE: June 19, 2022
TIME: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
PLACE: Fort Ethan Allen Parade Grounds - 11 Marcy Drive, Essex
PARKING: Street parking available along Dalton Drive. Overflow parking available on Laurette Drive.

This year's Juneteenth will recognize the Black history and the importance of emancipation in allowing Black Americans to participate in society, including the military. In 2016, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation erected a historic marker at Fort Ethan Allen for the Buffalo Soldiers. The marker is #20 on the Vermont African American Heritage Trail which was developed by the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity. Highlighting the Buffalo Soldiers' tour duty at the Fort from 1909-1913 celebrates our new and growing diverse population in Essex and the region.

Join your neighbors for live entertainment, food, and fun! Watch for further details leading up to the day of the event. ALL are welcome!

Entertainment - Toussaint St. Negritude

Toussaint is a solo performing poet/jazz artist, self-accompanying on bass clarinet, kalimba, and The Bird of Mingus (handmade Akonting/banjo-like instrument). Former Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine, poet, bass clarinetist, and composer Toussaint St. Negritude conjures whole liberations in full tempo. US Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks described his work as "full of sweet sounds and surprises." Originally from San Francisco, Toussaint has lived broadly across the African Diaspora, from the sacred mountains of Haiti to the Coltrane District of North Philadelphia. He is the leader of the band Jaguar Stereo, a free-form ensemble of his own poetry and improvisational jazz, and his works have been widely published and recorded for over 40 years, On an alpine sanctuary facing east, Toussaint St. Negritude continues to thrive in the farthest elevations of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.

Visit Toussaint's website at www.toussaintstnegritude.com.

Great Food!

Enjoy honey-glazed cornbread from Harmony's Kitchen!

Harmony Edosomwan is a multifaceted Nigerian-American entrepreneur, author, activist, chef, and small business owner. Edosomwan was born and raised in Bronx, NY to two Nigerian immigrants. As a Bronx native, Edosomwan was encompassed by different foods and cultures. All of which inspires her business and love for food today. Drawing on the roots of Southern, Nigerian, and Latinx cultures,Harmony’s Kitchen aims to bring Afro Fusion Soul Food to your table. We all have the right to a meal that helps us remember why life is so good. Harmony’s Kitchen has a mission to fill your bellies and your hearts with exuberant joy.

Good food will do that to ya!

Proposition 2 to the Declaration of Rights of the Vermont Constitution

In 2019, Proposition 2 to amend the Constitution of the State of Vermont was introduced to the Vermont Senate. The proposal would amend the Vermont Constitution to eliminate reference to slavery and to serve as a foundation for addressing systemic racism in Vermont's laws and institutions. The Senate passed the bill in April of that year. In January 2020, the House of Representatives passed the proposed change to clearly state, "slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited." The ballot measure will go before voters in November 2022. To read about the proposition, visit the Vermont Legislature's website.