For Immediate Release: Vermont Racial Justice Alliance Announces Richard Kemp Center Juneteenth Activities
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
June 14, 2023
Contact:
Isaac Owusu
info@vtracialjusticealliance.org
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance Announces Richard Kemp Center Juneteenth Activities
Burlington, VT – June 14, 2023 – Today the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance announced Richard Kemp Center plans for Juneteenth Weekend. Richard Kemp Center Juneteenth activities span across the weekend. There will be an Equal Protection of the Law Outreach and education session on Thursday, June 15th from 6:00 PM till 8:00 PM. This session will provide some insight on the historical opposition, appropriation and weaponization of the equal protection clause of the prolific Reconstruction 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. There will be a discussion on a proposed reparative constitutional amendment to the Vermont constitution. “How we respond to the attack on the 14th amendment will impact the lives of our children’s children” said Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance.
On Friday, June 16 from 4:00 Pm till 6:00 PM, there will be a Meet and Greet for Dr Tammy Gray-Steele, a fourth generation Black farmer and CEO of National Women in Agriculture Association, the largest non-profit women in agriculture organization in the world. She commented, “I have no doubt that the Vermont Chapter of National Women in Agriculture Association will hit the ground running in a big way”
The Richard Kemp Center will host a Juneteenth Open House from 1:00 PM till 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 17th. The Open House will feature a Young, Gifted and Black exhibition, I am Vermont Too, local Black artists, raffles and prizes and more. Folks will have an opportunity for a first glimpse at the Richard Kemp Center Wall of Black Vermont History. There will be “old school” R&B music and food and beverages for guests. Christine Hughes, Director of the Richard Kemp Center said “In all of the excitement and commercialization of Juneteenth, we don’t want to forget where it comes from and who it is about – the true history of the American Descendents of Slavery.” The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance table will be at the Richard Kemp Center Open House.
The Richard Kemp Center Revitalization crowdfunding campaign continues throughout Juneteenth weekend. The funds raised will serve to mitigate disparities by providing basic skills, increased access to opportunities, and a safe space. The funding from this campaign will enhance and offer increased functionality to the Richard Kemp Center space. Click HERE for project details and to DONATE.
Introduced by the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, the Richard Kemp Center centers the needs of the Black community in rectifying racial inequity by serving as a cultural broker in the expanding historically ineffective, inefficient and nonexistent programs and services to marginalized communities. The Richard Kemp Center is creating new systems that empower Black Vermonters denied equal access to public or private economic and other opportunities. The Richard Kemp Center serves as a “legacy-maker” at the intersection of the Black Community’s wellness, culture and youth.
###
About the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance:
The mission of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance is to secure sustainable power, ensure agency and provide security for American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS), while embracing their history and preserving their culture.
About the Richard Kemp Center:
The Richard Kemp Center expands programs and services that support Black Vermonters’ wellness, preserve their culture, support their youth and advance racial equity and justice.
About the National Women In Agriculture Association:
The mission of NWIAA is to engage minority youth and female farmers to reach their fullest potential while advancing in the field of agriculture – providing life-skills, career opportunities, and the mentorship needed to become prosperous citizens.