SDARJ Town Hall Meeting: Black Wall Street/Juneteenth

Save the date!

June 8, 2021
7:00pm – 8:30pm ET

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June includes many important historic events in America’s Black history.  Please join us on June 8, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. to recognize  two of those events, the commemoration of a horrific event that destroyed the lives of thousands and one of celebration and joy. Continue reading for more details.

One hundred years ago, on May 31 and June 1, 1921, saw one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history.  An armed white mob attacked Greenwood, a prosperous Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing as many as 300 people.  What was known as “Black Wall Street” was burned to the ground.  Renowned Delaware historian, Sylvester “Syl” Woolford will present  an hour-long  look back at the tragic events surrounding the massacre and its aftermath.  Syl’s presentations are always informative and interesting and based on extensive research of documents of the period.

On June 19th, 1865, two and a half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Army general Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom from slavery in Texas.  Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated off and on throughout the country.  Sussex County has celebrated Juneteenth for the past several years.  Following a brief video about the history of Juneteenth, Jane Hovington, founding board member of the Richard Allen Coalition and community activist, will speak to us about her relationship to Juneteenth and the celebration planned for this year.