Juneteenth celebration: City of Olympia hosts Omo Africa

Event is this Saturday, June 19

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The city of Olympia invites residents to participate in its upcoming Juneteenth celebration called Omo Africa in honor of African-American culture and history. 

The event takes place on June 19, Saturday from 1-5 p.m. at Fertile Grounds garden, 311 9th Ave. SE, near the Olympia Timberland Library. 

In addition, the city had teamed up with several organizations including, the Women of Color in Leadership Movement, the Hawk Foundation for Research and Education in African Culture, and Media Island International, to make the event possible. 

Shawna Hawk, Executive Director of Media Island, encouraged residents to bring their family and friends to witness music and live performances by the Buffalo Soldiers, Ayan Agaulu, and other African-American artists. Hawk added that the event would also host African-American food vendors coming from different parts of the state.

Olivia Salazar De Breaux, equity and inclusion coordinator for the city of Olympia, explained that Omo Africa means, “children of Africa.” The event is in line with the city's proclamation recognizing Juneteenth as the date of emancipation which was announced during the regular City Council meeting on June 11. The proclamation also encourages residents to “become more aware of the significance of this celebration in African-American History and its role in the heritage of our nation and City.”

However, Javoen Byrd, the Executive Director for Hawk Foundation for Research and Education in African Culture, believed that Juneteenth is not representative of the African-Americans first march to freedom. “Since they were enslaved, many communities fought back and went ahead and developed many communities outside of the U.S. like the Black Seminoles of Florida,” he said.

On the other hand, Byrd explained that the significance of the Juneteenth celebration lies on the recognition of the U.S government action to formally end slavery. 

Hawk agreed, saying that the event is proof of African-American resilience, “we overcame so much, and we are here as a symbol that our ancestor had made it possible for us to be here.”

Byrd also described the event as “a celebration of African-American culture and history, and a discussion of where do we go from here.”

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  • AmVANDEMAN

    Thanks so much for this article! I have been looking for events and I'm happy to have this information. There will also be activities recognizing Juneteenth at the Tumwater Event Center from 1 to 5pm (the old Pellegrino's event center) sponsored by Kurshida Begum and ASHHO.org.

    Wednesday, June 16, 2021 Report this