Community Corner
Sewickley Community Center Hosts Juneteenth Celebration
The second annual event is filled with free, family-oriented activities that commemorate the announcement of the abolition of slavery in 1865.
The Sewickley Community Center is hosting its second annual Juneteenth on Saturday, with plenty of history and entertainment as part of the celebration.
Volunteers are busy preparing the center at 15 Chadwick St. for Saturday’s events, which begin at 9 a.m. with a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society.
A panel discussion follows at 10 a.m. A five-person panel made up of local residents will discuss “Education As a Roadway to Financial Literacy or Parallel Pipeline to Prison.” Jonelle Henry, C-Span associate producer, will serve as the moderator.
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Autumn Redcross, event chairwoman, said the discussion aims to forge a conversation about education for African-Americans through history and where it has led.
“We’re trying to bring about responsible conversation of education on hard topics regarding race,” said Redcross, who also is the community center's drop-in coordinator.
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Music, food, history and fun are all a part of the jubilant day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth, or June 19, celebrates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, TX, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was 2 1/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, according to Juneteenth.com.
Redcross said the Sewickley events are “in the true spirit of Juneteenth . . . In the way I understand it was celebrated 150 years ago.”
The event sparked from an idea for a panel discussion on the same day as the center’s community day, which offers a free swim.
Free family-friendly activities will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Outdoor entertainment includes a free swim and free activities provided by several organizations, including the Sewickley , Center for the Arts and Youth Connect. Indoor activities include a QiGong healing workshop, genealogy 101 and a creative writing session. Free spa activities – microdermabrasion, facials, foot treatments and makeup – will also be offered in the community room.
Musical entertainment begins at 12:30 p.m. with Elizabeth “Betty” Douglas; 1:30 p.m. with Hip Hop on L.O.C.K. and 4 p.m. with the Muddy Kreek Blues Band.
Soul food will be sold, including smoke ribs, smoked chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and sweet potato pie.
Barbara Williams, who is cooking, said she plans to use her special homemade No-So sauce, a cross between northern thick and southern thin sauce.
“I’m not bragging on myself, but I’m a good cook,” Williams said.
Several vendors will also be on hand selling art, jewelry, clothing and more at the indoor marketplace.
The entertainment continues at 8 p.m. when Pittsburgh-based actor/playwright Wali Jamal will present two one-act plays, “Doo Rag” and “Holding Cell.” A talk-back discussion will follow.
Last year's event was billed as a street fair, and Redcross estimates 300 people attended. This year, she hopes to double that attendance with a mix of indoor and outdoor activities.
Attendees are asked to bring a canned good to the event to help replenish the ’s food pantry. Volunteers including Maya Andlig and Stephanie Bliss have been working for months to make sure Saturday’s event runs smoothly.
“Our volunteers are awesome,” Redcross said. “It’s a volunteer effort.”
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If you’re going:
9 a.m. to noon -- Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society pancake breakfast , $5
9:30 a.m. – Orientation at the community
10 a.m. – Panel discussion, “Education As a Roadway to Financial Literacy or Parallel Pipeline to Prison.” Jonelle Henry, C-Span associate producer, is the moderator.
Noon to 5 p.m. – Activities include:
- Free swim
- Free children’s activities - provided by the YMCA, the , Highmark, Health System, , Sweetwater Center, Northway Christian Community, Youth Connect, and the Sewickley Community Center Teens.
- Indoor Marketplace - featuring art, jewelry, clothing and more.
- Spa activities - microdermabrasion, facials, foot treatments and makeup.
6 to 8 p.m. -- night swim, $1
Mini workshops
1 p.m. -- QiGong: Healing with the Flow Brother Malcolm and Sister IAsia
2 p.m. -- Creative Writing: “Getting it on Paper,” with Jeanne Zell
3 p.m. -- Geneology 101, Emily Davis
Music and Performances
12:30 p.m. – Elizabeth “Betty” Douglas
1:30 p.m. -- Hip Hop on L.O.C.K.
4 p.m. -- the Muddy Kreek Blues Band.
8 p.m. – “Doo Rag” and “Holding Cell” by Wali Jamal, $10
For more information call 412-741-5430
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