Credit MAC
The Middletown Art Center (MAC) is honored to invite the public to the 6th annual Juneteenth celebration at MAC on Friday, June 19th, from 5:30-10pm. Come hear from Black elders and local community leaders who lived through the Civil Rights Era and clearly remember the cost of the freedoms that too many now take for granted. The event is open and free to the public.
The conversation in the gallery will begin at 5:30 and feature Randall Cole, Rev. Clovice Lewis, Voris Brumfeld, Aqeela Markowski, Delores Farrell, Lynette Le Fleche, and Derek Counts. Following the conversation, chili (vegan and meat lovers), collards, and cornbread by Goddess of the Mountain, and beverages will be available for purchase, while music by Doc and the Funk Machine will fill our souls and move our dancing feet.
Juneteenth is a day to commemorate and celebrate the end of slavery and the progress that has been made in social justice and civil rights. And it is also a day to reflect on and recognize persistent systemic biases and injustices in our society and around the globe. We are called upon to confront our own biases so that we can raise our own and others’ daily awareness to these, and initiate ways in which we, in our own lives and communities, can deconstruct and dissolve barriers to social justice and human rights. Juneteenth encourages us to take action and construct new ways of living and being together.
“This year’s Juneteenth gathering, A Call for Resilience, comes at a moment of profound moral urgency for our nation,” said Rev. Clovice A. Lewis, Jr., M.Div., who will be participating in the evening via Zoom. “We cannot speak of Juneteenth merely as a celebration of progress while the hard-won protections of that progress are being systematically dismantled before our eyes. We gather not simply to commemorate emancipation, but to speak honestly about the rollback of civil rights protections and the growing threats to the dignity and political voice of marginalized communities. Though our words may at times be difficult, they are offered not in bitterness, but in love for this country and in defense of the democratic ideals it has too often failed to uphold equally for all its citizens.”
We invite the public to join us for a conversation in our “living room” at MAC. Come hear the unvarnished and unfiltered reflections, memories, warnings, and hopes of those who have endured struggles across generations in an evening of truth-telling, remembrance, courage, and resilience.
The Middletown Art Center is a vibrant cultural hub dedicated to promoting artistic expression, fostering dialogue, and cross-cultural connections. Learn more about the MAC and ways to support their vital work at middletownartcenter.org.
The MAC is located at 21456 State Hwy 175 at the junction of Hwy 29 in Middletown. Call 707-809-8118 or email info@middletownartcenter.org for more information or accessibility assistance.
