Juneteenth organizers say event in Olympia is on despite lack of support from city
The city of Olympia decided earlier this year to partner with an organization in Tumwater for Juneteenth celebrations, leaving Media Island International Director Shawna Hawk on her own for this year’s event at Rebecca Howard Park.
Hawk told The Olympian this month that despite the setback, she has managed to secure the funding and vendors for Juneteenth. This year’s event will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Rebecca Howard Park.
Meanwhile, Olympia City Council read a proclamation for Juneteenth during its meeting this week. The proclamation stated that Juneteenth was officially declared a recognized holiday in Washington State in 2007, and then it was made an official state holiday in 2021.
The proclamation also stated that the city of Olympia has its own place in the history of slavery and the struggle for Black freedom. Charles Mitchell, a 13-year-old boy, was enslaved in Olympia in the 1850s, according to the proclamation. He escaped enslavement in 1860 with the help of Black abolitionists in the maritime Underground Railroad to free Victoria, British Columbia.
The proclamation also stated that Olympia is the first and currently the only city in the state of Washington to adopt a resolution requesting the state government to study and pursue reparations for the descendants of slaves.
Community organizer Malika Lamont accepted the proclamation from the council. She said Juneteenth in part represents the idea that freedom was available to people, but because of money and exploitation, it was held back from some groups. She said she thinks the country and Olympia are at a similar moment where fighting over money is the priority instead of working together for unity.
“I hope that we can use this opportunity of Juneteenth being federally recognized and recognized by the local government to come to a better place together,” Lamont said.
Mayor Dontae Payne said during the meeting that the theme for this year’s Juneteenth for Washington State is that the holiday brings balance to America’s celebration of freedom.
He said when he thinks about that, he also thinks about the pushback the city has received on celebration of the holiday. He said people have labeled it anti-American or anti-patriotic.
“(Juneteenth) reminds us to look back, think about where we’ve been, look at where we are now and think about where we want to be,” Payne said.
The city is partnering with ASHHO Cultural Community Center in Tumwater for this year’s Juneteenth event. It will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 19, at ASHHO, located at 5757 Littlerock Rd SW #4, in Tumwater.
Khurshida Begum, founder of ASHHO Cultural Community Center, said this is the nonprofit’s fourth annual Juneteenth celebration. She said Juneteenth is not just a holiday, but a question: what does freedom feel like?
“We cannot celebrate freedom in isolation when struggles for human dignity are happening all over this world, here at home and beyond our borders,” she said.
Begum said the ASHHO center can hold up to 160 people, and the Friday event will feature food and speakers. She said two community members, Latasha Pinkney and Lois Tolbert Wollo.
She also invited the council to attend the event and asked them to think about what they’re doing to actively elevate and support Black residents beyond Juneteenth.
As for this year’s event at Rebecca Howard Park, organizer Hawk said it wouldn’t be happening without support from the community.
Hawk said in the past, the city has helped cover a number of expenses, including for parking, the stage and sound equipment, and porta-potties. She said this year those expenses and the city’s complicated event paperwork were all on her to cover.
She said event expenses were more than $20,000 in total. She said the city would typically cover about half of that, but this year it was all on her. If it weren’t for community members spreading the word about the situation and the city backing out of sponsorship, she said she wouldn’t have had enough money to make this year’s event happen.
Hawk said she’s continuing to host Juneteenth events to promote the development of Rebecca Howard Park. She said she has hope that the relationship between Black leaders and city officials in Olympia can be repaired, but ultimately the ball is in the city’s court.
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