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Mostly Cloudy Come to Joy Fest: A Juneteenth Celebration
I often imagine the thoughts and experiences of enslaved Black people in America. It is a dark place, but it is a place that keeps me in gratitude and motion every day. It keeps me moving, running, jumping and pushing toward equity for all people.
Now I want us all to imagine being one of the people who were enslaved in Galveston Bay, Texas. Enslaved people in the United States were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, but areas where people were still under Confederate rule were not free. So, because Galveston Bay was under Confederate rule, some 250,000 enslaved people were not freed until June 19, 1865. I want to recognize these beautiful people, all 250,000 of them. It is because of them and their experience that we finally federally recognize Juneteenth, June 19, in America.
Juneteenth did not just mark the end of slavery for all Black enslaved people — it lit the flame of freedom. Freedom, the ability to do what you choose, when you choose, with whom you choose. Freedom was a foreign concept to so many enslaved people.
The fact that freedom was so hard-won by Black Americans sits with me daily, and inspires me to be very intentional with my time. I think about our community, and all the work that must be done so we can all have an excellent quality of life, and this encourages me to think about how amazing things would be if all of us used our freedom to consistently do a few things.
Imagine how our community would soar if we used our freedom to work to eliminate all barriers of connection. The stories and lessons we would share across generations would be priceless! This used to happen frequently, and we were all the better for it.
I want you to imagine how our community would rise if we used our freedom to work toward growth, innovation and collaboration. I firmly believe we all have great gifts and skills to contribute and share with the world. Gifts and skills that we could all teach one another so they become transferrable, and benefit even more people.
I love nothing more than brainstorming sessions in which great minds from all points of the community gather to develop effective solutions to improve the community. I smile when I think about all we could solve with more frequent brainstorming sessions — effective collaboration is simply the best! It reminds us that we are communal, and we are a collective community that holds the key to our excellence.
Finally, imagine how our community would thrive if we used our freedom to become action figures! I constantly hear that we need more leaders and activists in our community. I always mention that we have many leaders, but must do a better job of organizing them and creating succession plans, so the fight for equity never stops. Our belief in community succession planning inspired my team and I to develop the Pipeline Project to identify and develop leaders in our community, so we stay ready for someone to step up in the ranks of leadership at every possible level of service.
Imagining the world in which we use our freedom to consistently serve our community fills me with so much joy, and is the reason why I have decided to host Joy Fest: A Juneteenth Celebration, this Saturday at Uniondale High School. This is the second year we are partnering with the high school PTSA, My Brother’s Keeper and Bold Mynds to celebrate Juneteenth, and we could not be more excited.
This is the first year that we decided to brand the celebration Joy Fest, and we know it will be a celebration that offers education, culture, fellowship and joy. All are welcome, and we plan on making this the most joyful and extraordinary Juneteenth celebration in Nassau County. We thank all our partners and sponsors, including Jovia Financial Credit Union, Hofstra University and AT&T. Please join us on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit joyfestny.com. We cannot wait to celebrate together!
Taylor Darling represents the state’s 18th Assembly District.
