Maya McFadden Photo
Solar Power and community at Dixwell festival’s dance party.
Tracey Massey at Hill fest: “We’re building another Wall Street.”
From the Hill to Dixwell, New Haveners celebrated Juneteenth with dance, soul food, and investments in Black businesses.
Two Juneteenth events were celebrated less than two miles away from one another at Sandra’s Next Generation restaurant in the Hill and Connecticut Violence Intervention Program’s space at 230 Ashmun St.
Each gathering hosted dozens of New Haveners to celebrate the holiday, which marks the proclamation of the end of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. It commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans through the power of unity and circulating black dollars. The holiday has grown in popularity, especially since the Black Lives Matters police accountability protests of the past year. This week it became a federal holiday.
“Freedom Brunch”
Son Miguel Pittman Jr., Sandra Pittman, and Sister Sherena Harris at Saturday’s event.
Owners of Congress Avenue’s Sandra’s Next Generation, Miguel and Sandra Pittman, cleared the restaurant’s parking lot to host their first annual Juneteenth festival. The all-day event began as a brunch, then an afternoon cookout, and finally an after-hours party.
New Haveners were seated on one side for a plate of chicken and waffles, cajun chicken devil eggs, or fish and grits, while 11 Black vendors participated and sold their art, clothing, jewelry, and healthy snacks on the other side of the lot.
The Pittmans’ four kids organized the event. They invited operators Black-owned businesses from New York, Georgia, and Alabama to join the gathering.
Tracey Massey.
While artist Tracey Massey sold her paintings, custom clothing, and handmade jewelry at the Hill festival, she thought about her mother, who raised her around entrepreneurship by selling candy apples and popcorn.
“We’re building another Wall Street,” she said.
Massey lives in the Hill and has been eating at Sandra’s for the past 25 years.
After brunch, visitors stopped at vendor tables and tasted samples of seamoss and rubbed a thick and creamy shea butter Ghanian formula on their hands.
“This is about freedom and working towards a better future,” said Sandra.
Dance Party For Empowerment
Amistad Committee’s Saturday event in Dixwell.
The Amistad Committee and Connecticut 29th Colored Regiment C.V. Infantry hosted its fourth annual Juneteenth festival at the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program’s outdoor space on Ashmun Street in Dixwell.
A dance party erupted at the event led by youth who later invited in young children and seniors to join.
Solar Power dancers Tyler Jackson, Dashawn Davis, and Gabriel Francis (among those pictured at the top of this story) performed for the crowd after an impromptu dance circle with New Haven natives and sisters Shannon Mone’t, Sharon, and Crystal Dickey.
The group danced in sync to songs like “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe and “It Takes Two” by Rob Base. DJ EZ Rock played by the Rahsaan Langley Band.
Amistad Committee Juneteenth celebration
Posted by New Haven Independent on Saturday, June 19, 2021
Organizers Kai Perry, Meredith Benson, and Kelly Mero invited local vendors to the event. Dozens of community organizations also tabled at the event, offering program sign-ups, resources, and local services. New Haven Reads Site Director Audra Clark distributed free books to youth and parents Saturday. Several food trucks lined the street to provide free meals.
Aminata Dukuray’s jewelry.
Fire Chief John Alston Jr. invited Ancient African Formula owner Aminata Dukuray from New Jersey to the event to sell her imported art, clothing, jewelry, and skin care products made by her family in Gambia. The proceeds made from at the event will be donated to build a school for youth in Dukuray’s home of Gambia.
Chief Alston, Sean Hardy, and Dan Kinsman.
Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School support staff member Sean Hardy said he hopes celebrations continue citywide surrounding Black success and hope. He suggested future celebrations include a focus on teaching youth life skills like communication with positive and consistent programming.
“This is like a push that we can make it,” Hardy said. “But we don’t just need that once a year. We need it more often.”
Local artist Jesse Wolf displayed his most recent pieces after a self-care hiatus and joined with artist friends Saisha Mac and Patrick Kelly in a live paint session at Saturday’s event for participants to watch, join, or suggest ideas for the pieces.
Griffin Hospital also offered free vaccines to New Haveners during the event.