‘We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams’: Juneteenth creates space for grassroots organizing

People gathered in Spokane’s Underhill Park Monday to celebrate, hold council and participate in America’s newest federal holiday: Juneteenth.

This event organized by Spokane Community Against Racism attracted more than a hundred people of all ages for, in organizer Jac Archer’s words, a “kickback.”

“We go, get some pizza, just talk to people,” Archer said.

The celebration was informal. Families played games in the park, grabbed freshly grilled hot dogs and snacks and shared a conversation with other members of the community while listening to music.

Juneteenth is a day of remembrance, as activist Stephaine Courtney explained, noting it is a time to be thankful for all the work that has gone into creating equal opportunities for African Americans.

“We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” she said, “being able to break generational curses, to gain and hold onto wealth, to become educated.”

But the work isn’t finished, she added.

All of Us or None, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rights of those who have been incarcerated, held a small symbolic banner drop during the event in conjunction with other branches from more than 15 cities. The aim is to support the abolition of the Exception Clause within the 13th amendment, which allows slavery and indentured servitude as a form of criminal punishment.

An outdoors caucus for Blacks, Indigenous people and people of color (BIPOC) was held nearby, with activists from a number of nonprofits and local residents in attendance. This, unlike the larger event itself, was not open to those who did not identify as BIPOC, who were asked respectfully to step out.

When asked on the importance of focusing attendance for only those who identify as BIPOC, Archer elaborated: “Have you ever had a girls or guys night? You don’t exclude the other gender to discriminate against them; the point is to have a safe space that can focus on and cater to a specific group’s interests, needs and issues.”

However, Archer wasn’t unsympathetic to those not permitted to participate. “I understand. It hurts to be left out, regardless of what it is.”

Archer believes that in a larger group it can be very difficult to keep concerns and ideas directed towards the issue at hand, especially in a city like Spokane where communities of color make up less than 17% of the population and African Americans less than 3%.

The caucus was dedicated to fostering greater connection within Spokane’s Black community, as well as better integrating those who have been incarcerated and protecting the community’s children from a school-to-prison pipeline.

Also in attendance was Natasha Hill, an attorney who ran against Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers for representative of Washington’s 5th Congressional District in 2022. Hill encouraged others to participate in national organizations such as the NAACP, though she acknowledged they can be unsupportive.

“There shouldn’t be anything about us without us,” she declared, in reference to many nonprofits interacting with the Black community but not run or operated by African Americans, yet being awarded grants over those that are.

“I hope the speakers are serious,” said Anton Velone, a citizen who was outspoken in the caucus on his worries about the group not being transparent to a larger, non-BIPOC audience. He said he’s seen a lot of groups that intended to solve issues but had not been consistent in their approach and failed to have any noticeable impact.

Juneteenth is the nation’s newest federal holiday, celebrating the de facto end of slavery in Galveston, Texas, following the end of the Civil War. It became recognized nationwide in 2021, though the holiday has been celebrated unofficially since its inception in 1865 by Black Americans and as a state holiday in Texas since 1980.