Aloha Friends,
There were plans a few weeks ago for our community to honor Juneteenth with a reflective service on June 19. In the planning for that event, I discovered that a number of local organizations are holding a Juneteenth event that morning at 9 am, including the Honolulu NAACP and Hawai’i for Juneteenth. I propose that we do our best this year to support this public event in the year when this state has finally recognized Juneteenth as a holiday. All of the information I have is below. Please note to wear white, bring a mask, and bring something for the collective altar at the event.
Mahalo – Rev. T. J.
Juneteenth 2021While our community has been observing for decades, this year the Hawaiʻi state legislature passed SB 939 to officially recognize Juneteenth—the result of many years of advocacy by a diverse coalition of community members and organizations, including the Honolulu NAACP chapter and the newly formed Hawaiʻi for Juneteenth. The move garnered interest in national press across the US (Associated Press, Essence, NBC News) as Hawaiʻi becomes the 49th state to officially commemorate celebrations of June 19, 1865, the day when enslaved African people in east Texas learned of the formal end of enslavement at the close of the American Civil War. Today, in Hawaiʻi and beyond, Juneteenth is a time for us to celebrate community, connection, and freedom while we are reminded that none of us is truly free until all are free. |
| On Saturday, June 19 we’ll start Juneteenth in ceremony to honor our ancestors with a joyful morning protocol featuring east Texas descendant and cultural practitioner Jerome Mestre de Trevino and others. Join us at the makai side of Kapiʻolani Park, across from the entrance to Kaimana Beach. Please wear white, be prepared for COVID precautions, and bring your offering for our collective altar.
Saturday, June 19, 9am at Kapiʻolani Park |