Latest news with #AfricanAmericanMuseum
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
90 Plus: Francis Melba Braud
ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (KLFY) — Francis Melba Braud, 95, of St. Martinville just celebrated her birthday. According to the family, Ms. Braud helped to establish the African American Museum inside the St. Martinville Cultural Museum. Moreover, Braud is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and has achieved diamond status, which recognizes 75 years of service with the organization. Braud was born and raised in Rayville, Louisiana, just outside of Monroe. At one point, Melba's family moved to Houston. 'I went from Houston to New Orleans' Xavier, and from Xavier, I got married. We came here to live and I've been here ever since,' Braud explained. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Melba lives in the house she and her husband built. 'They were going around school talking about how Ms. Braud and Mr. Braud are building a castle over there.' It took them 20 years to complete the house. 'I've been married to you 20 years now, and you haven't built this house, so I'm leaving. That's when he struck the line to build this house,' she said. Melba attended USL, currently the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Melba and her husband had four children. Her husband, Newman, served in World War II. Plus, her husband was an educator. 'I was the first African American teacher at USL.' Melba recalls when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was marching for equal rights, the federal government allocated funds to cities and parishes for initiatives related to cultural history. She was appointed to the committee for that by the mayor. 'I did a lot of research with other college professionals and USL to do the historical background for the creation of the museum that we now have today in St. Martinville,' Braud noted. She also offers advice to parents on how to reverse the path that many children are currently following and falling victim to today. 'A long time ago, the old folk used to have to be buried by the young people. Today, the older people have to bury the young folks because so many of them are being shot and killed and falling towards drugs. It's true. We need to get our families together and get back together towards those goals our ancestors had,' Braud added. Acadiana Kidcaster: Thomas Broussard 90 Plus: Francis Melba Braud LPSS superintendent cracking down on students skipping school KOK Wings & Things expanding to new location in Lafayette Creole King's arrival sparks jobs and innovation at Port Iberia Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Thousands attend Waukegan Juneteenth celebration; ‘This is our day to … celebrate our freedom'
More than 1,000 people — many wearing clothing related to a message of freedom — lined a nearly two-mile stretch of Washington Street in Waukegan Saturday, watching bands, drill teams, dancers and other participants in Lake County's inaugural Juneteenth parade. Dorothy Fullilove wore a shirt with a bold '1865' printed on it, signifying the year slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they were no longer someone else's property two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery. 'It's when everyone was free,' Fullilove said. 'This is our day to remember what happened and celebrate our freedom.' 'It's great to see a lot of people out here,' added Kathryn Young. 'We're here to remember what happened long ago.' Young and Fullilove were among the more than 1,000 people watching Lake County's inaugural Juneteenth parade, and over 3,500 participating in the Juneteenth Lake County Parade and Festival Saturday in Waukegan, celebrating the June 19 Juneteenth holiday. Sylvia England, the founder of the African American Museum at the England Manor in Waukegan and one of the festivities' organizers, said the events were held Saturday rather than on the holiday itself to give as many people as possible an opportunity to partake. The museum's van led the parade. 'There was a lot of engagement,' England said. 'I felt like our ancestors created the path, and we literally rode down it. We had people from the very young to the very old. It was a street festival. The community could come outside and socialize.' Becoming a local holiday five years ago when the Waukegan Park District, the city of Waukegan, Waukegan Township and Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 passed resolutions, and a national holiday the year afterwards, Juneteenth celebrations have grown in recent years. After a countywide festival last year in North Chicago, the parade was new in 2025, as well as the selection of a Mr. Juneteenth, Truth Thurman, a 2025 Waukegan High School graduate, and Ms. Juneteenth, Jamira Johnson, a Warren Township High School sophomore. Thurman, who will attend the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the fall, said he hopes to be an ambassador to young African Americans. He considered his selection an honor as he and Johnson rode together in a convertible in the parade. 'I want to be able to show who we are as a people,' Thurman said. A member of the Black Student Union at Warren, Johnson said she learned of the opportunity to become Ms. Juneteenth through the organization. She submitted a video to festival organizers explaining what the opportunity would mean to her. 'Juneteenth is a special day, and I am proud to represent the young people,' she said. Brandon Ewing, a former District 60 Board of Education president and another event organizer, said he is happy with the way the celebration of Juneteenth has grown each year in Lake County. 'This is important for culture and community to have this celebration,' he said. 'We are showcasing Black achievements and Black potential. We want this to help lead to peace in our community.' Among the people walking in the parade was state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove. For her, the message of Juneteenth is freedom, not just the liberation of slaves, but for everyone, which brings 'resilience' to the community. 'Juneteenth is also about strength, resilience and triumph for the Black community,' she said. Waukegan Township Supervisor Marc Jones, who walked in the parade with other township personnel, said he is happy to see the growth of the Juneteenth holiday in the city and throughout Lake County. 'This is about unity, freedom and equality,' he said. 'It is something we should all be able to enjoy.' Anton Mathews, a member of the Park District's Board of Commissioners and its past president, marched along Washington Street as well. He is proud of the fact that the Park District was the first governmental entity to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. 'It is a testament to the awareness of the day that so many people are now able to enjoy it,' Mathews said. 'It's about unity and freedom, something we should all enjoy.' Starting as the parade ended was the Juneteenth Festival with 10 food trucks and 27 vendors representing merchants, other businesses and community organizations on two blocks of Genesee Street, as well as a soundstage. People filled the streets and lined the sidewalks, partaking of not just the food trucks but refreshments offered by the restaurants and bars along the street. Unable to attend the parade or festival this year was Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham. He was attending the U.S. Mayors Conference in Tampa, which ended Sunday. He called the decision to go there rather than celebrate with the community, 'difficult but necessary.' 'In this time of uncertain funding and rapid change, it was important to be in the room with other city leaders from across the country — sharing strategies, learning best practices, and advocating for resources that will ultimately benefit our community, including how we support and celebrate events like Juneteenth in the future,' Cunningham said in an email.
Chicago Tribune
18-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County Juneteenth celebrations will be hosted in Waukegan this year
Before Juneteenth (June 19) became a national holiday in 2021, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, it was already an official holiday in Waukegan since 2020, recognized by the city, the Waukegan Park District, and Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Though in the past multiple events took place in different parts of Lake County, including Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion, this year the primary countywide celebration is Saturday in Waukegan with 12 hours of festivities in different forms. Recognizing the day slaves in Texas were told of their freedom — June 19, 1865 — more than three years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the country, Juneteenth evokes a variety of feelings for Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham. 'Juneteenth will help others understand the pain and joy of our people — the pain of being enslaved and the joy of becoming free,' Cunningham, the city's first Black mayor, said. 'Now we live in a country where our dreams can be achieved. That's what Juneteenth means to me.' Juneteenth events started Thursday at the African American Museum at England Manor in Waukegan and continue with the daylong celebration — the Juneteenth Lake County Parade & Festival 2025 — Saturday in Waukegan Though the holiday is on Thursday with some events, Sylvia England, the museum's founder, said scheduling the major celebration on Saturday gives more people the opportunity to celebrate together as a community. 'A lot of people are not being given off on the 19th,' England said. 'It's kind of a regular day for many businesses. We thought it would be a bigger and better celebration if we moved it to the weekend after Juneteenth.' With ArtWauk already scheduled at 5 p.m. Saturday in downtown Waukegan, Cunningham said it will give people the chance to experience both events at the same time, hopefully expanding the Juneteenth crowd. Brandon Ewing, one of the event organizers and the past president of the District 60 Board of Education, said both the parade and recognizing Mr. Juneteenth and Ms. Juneteenth are first-time events. He has long celebrated the holiday in different ways. He is glad it is becoming a big event. 'We're showing up and representing our people living joyfully in our skins in spaces where we were once pushed to the margins,' Ewing said. Juneteenth events start at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the museum, opening with African-style drummers. England said there will be a ceremony, music from a live band, honoring longtime members of the African American Community, and skits about Dred Scott and Harriet Tubman. There will also be a freedom walk at 5 p.m. Thursday starting outside the Grayslake Public Library. Saturday's events start at 10 a.m. with a history walk at Eugene King Park sponsored by the museum and the Waukegan Park District. Ty Rohrer, the park district's manager of cultural arts, said it will take people through different parts of the city's south side. The walk will go by the Eddie Washington Center, named for the late member of the Illinois General Assembly, and Carman-Buckner Elementary School named in part for Isabelle Buckner, District 60's first black principal. Rohrer said participants will visit graves of former slaves at Oakwood Cemetery who came to Waukegan with their freedom as well as going to Shiloh Baptist Church and Trinity AME Church. Both congregations are more than 100 years old. Ewing said the parade starts at 1 p.m. at the corner of Washington and Jackson streets, going east until it ends at Sheridan Road near the festival, which goes from 1:30 to 10 p.m. on Genesee Street from Washington to Madison streets. 'We'll have a children's area with pony rides, a petting zoo and a bouncy house,' Ewing said. 'There will be dozens of food vendors including food trucks. There will be a lot of soul food. We'll have vendors.' Opening ceremonies take place between 2:50 and 3:20 p.m. at the BCU Stage. Ewing said Mr. Juneteenth and Ms., Juneteenth will be recognized then. Eachj receives a $500 scholarship.
Axios
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
How to celebrate Juneteenth in Philadelphia
Juneteenth celebrations take over Philadelphia on Thursday and throughout the weekend with festivals, performances and a block party. The big picture: Momentum around the holiday, which honors the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, appears to be expanding across the U.S. amid the Trump administration's backlash against civil rights and discussions on racism, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. Context: This is the fourth year that Juneteenth has been a national holiday since President Biden signed legislation in 2021. Government offices, post offices, banks and the stock market are closed, while city trash and recycling pickups won't be collected. Zoom in: Thursday's premier event in Philly is a block party at the African American Museum from noon to 7pm. The event, in partnership with Wawa's Welcome America and Visit Philly, features live music, a beer garden, food trucks, dance performances and family-friendly activities The celebration, billed "Audacious Freedom," is headlined by DJ Drama, Lady Alma, Kid Capri and Slick Rick. Thursday 10am-5pm 🇺🇲 Museum of the American Revolution: Check out the new Revolutionary War Flags exhibit, catch a theatrical performance, and tag along on a museum tour ($10). ⛓️ Eastern State Penitentiary: Stop by for discussions with guest speakers, choir performances and a family storytime. 10:45am-2:30pm. 🛍️ Pop-up Market at Independence Visitor Center: Shop Black-owned makers and small businesses from 11am-4pm. Sunday 🥁 Juneteenth Parade and Festival: A marketplace with hundreds of vendors and a youth pavilion opens in Malcolm X Park at 10am. The parade steps off from the Mann Center with roughly 2,000 participants and more than two dozen floats at 12:30pm. Stay late for the music festival at 5pm in Malcolm X Park. And a Miss Juneteenth Pageant is slated for 6pm at the National Constitution Center. 🌳 Bartram's Garden: Spend the day outside in the botanical garden enjoying performances, workshops, lawn games and storytelling.
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Skokie celebrates Juneteenth with dance, heritage
Cultural and food booths, entertainment and an invitation to join in the dancing were part of Skokie's Juneteenth celebration held Saturday at Oakton Park. 'The turnout has been great — we're really happy about people coming to celebrate American history,' said Brian Williams, a founding member of Skokie United, whose members include mostly nonprofit and government representatives who organize the Juneteenth celebration. 'Juneteenth means Emancipation Day, Freedom Day — it's an American story that needs to be taught more,' he added. 'It's history we have to teach so we don't have to repeat it.' Roz Tillman of Skokie took the stage to lead a group of attendees in dance. 'We call ourselves the Classy Sassy Skokie Dancers,' she said. Natasha Lavallias, a Skokie resident who attended with her daughter, said she hadn't known about Juneteenth when she was growing up, but defined it as 'coming together and celebrating freedom, though there's still more to do.' Sylvia England, however, had known of Juneteenth for about the last 40 years. England, founder and executive director of the African American Museum at England Manor, and about six others were staffing a tent with cultural displays from the Waukegan museum. The museum brings in students to teach them about African-American history, she said. 'And with our history being put to the side, should I say, it's important for us to have a presence in the community. So we bring the students to the museum. You know, we're teaching them, we're showing them artifacts. 'But the whole reason why we're here in Skokie is because you want to branch out and see what people are doing across Illinois, and the country.' La Wanna Wells, chief equity officer for Niles Township High School District 219 who is leaving that role June 30, spoke about the state of equity efforts, saying DEI stories are being erased across the nation, and the average DEI director in North Shore school districts only makes it two years in their role. She said she'll become associate principal in a different school district that has an active DEI director. 'I am reminded that Juneteenth was the beginning of transforming enslaved people back to the status they deserved, which was human,' she said, before disclosing that Juneteenth, June 19, is her birthday. The audience applauded.
