George Washington Park in downtown Centralia was alive with live music, joyful dancing, soul food, history and a variety of speakers during the Juneteenth celebration on a sunny Thursday morning.
Multiculturally Minded Lewis County and ROOTED in Lewis County, through a partnership with the City of Centralia, put on the event in front of a packed crowd.
Dr. Usha Sahadeva-Brooks welcomed guests to Centralia’s sixth annual Juneteenth event, which began with a land blessing by a member of the Snohomish Tribe. Michael Green sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” before Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston read the city’s proclamation and presented it to Multiculturally Minded Lewis County founder Lea Green.
Smith Johnston also briefly told the history of how George Washington founded the city of Centralia 150 years ago with the intention of creating a place for people of all backgrounds.
Rose McCarthy, Michael Green and Johnathan Kwata invited attendees to join in on the singing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem, as well as other tunes.
Keynote speaker Erin Jones, a longtime educator and former athlete, introduced herself through a poem, in which she highlighted that she speaks four languages, was a three-sport athlete in high school and competed in soccer and basketball in 12 countries. She is also a musician who is a pianist and songwriter. Jones also ran for state superintendent in 2016 and lost the race by one percentage point, and she has worked and done consultation for nonprofits, government agencies and businesses.
She challenged the hundreds of listeners in the crowd to make a decision in this “season of American history” while acknowledging the importance of Juneteenth in America at this point in time.
“How do we want to be remembered? Do we want to be known as those who responded to hate with hate? If we march and protest, are there action steps beyond the march to which we are committed, or will we be merely loud voices echoing in the roadways?” Jones asked. “Do we want to be remembered as those who, in the most difficult of times, were able to bring together a nation, who reached across aisles and ZIP codes, cultures and faith backgrounds, to eat and drink, to learn and listen, who are willing to live in the in-between places where lasting change occurs?”
Jones used her experience growing up at the United Nations School in Europe as an anecdotal introduction to her ultimate challenge to the crowd, which was to get to know those who look different and come from different backgrounds. She grew up with the child of the Israeli ambassador and the child of the Palestinian ambassador in the 1970s and 1980s, and she challenged herself to speak Hebrew and Arabic to “build a bridge.”
She noted that, even though Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, to declare all persons held as slaves be freed, people continued to live in slavery for two and a half years. She said when General Order No. 3 came to Galveston, Texas, enslaved people celebrated.
“The Black people didn’t revolt when they found out. They celebrated. For far too long, we have had a message that if Black people were to be in charge, they would be violent and they would want to pay back. That’s not true,” Jones said. “That’s not what happened in Galveston. People got together and they celebrated. We can all be part of the solution or we can be part of the problem. “
She compared America’s history to a long-term marriage, saying that the relationship won’t last if there isn’t honesty. Despite noting that she doesn’t believe in shaming or guilting anyone for the nation’s history of slavery, Jones encouraged the crowd to do their part in creating a better future.
“Right now, we’re in a moment in American history where people are trying to scrub the truth. Part of the honoring of this day is saying, ‘We as a nation have failed one another at times.’ Let’s look at that and be honest about it and say, ‘How do we begin to heal together?’ Guess what? Look around you. This is how we heal right here,” Jones said, pointing to the crowd.
Lastly, Jones repeated that “diversity is our superpower” and said healing will be in building relationships across differences.
Sean Langan, an 18-year-old from Seattle, pleaded to the crowd to help the children in the community, pointing to his experience at Green Hill School in Chehalis. He said children are not safe from the “traps,” especially in cities like Tacoma and Seattle.
“Green Hill is not far away from here. It’s a couple miles down the road. I can guarantee you someone is getting beat up right now,” Langan said. “These kids are sad. It’s not just Black kids. These kids need their parents. These kids are growing up by themselves, and it’s kids raising kids and kids dying young. These kids need role models, and we need the community like we have right here.”
He told the crowd that he lost four of his friends to the streets before their 16th birthdays. Langan said it took two or three role models at Green Hill for him to want to turn his life around, and he wants to share his story to those who might need it.
“I just had to see that there was a different way other than the streets and survival. When kids are looking up to you, be the impact. When you see they’re watching you, do the right thing and show them the right way,” he said.
Performances from the Tacoma Refugee Choir, line dancing from the Stillwaters Estates Retirement Community, and the New Old School Fellas brought the park to life. Tshishiku Henry, the founder and CEO of Wide World for Refugee, read a poem about living as a refugee.
Dr. Thelma Jackson, author of “Blacks in Thurston County, Washington 1950 to 1975,” followed his speech by applauding Multiculturally Minded Lewis County and ROOTED Lewis County for playing a role in “safeguarding democracy, freedom, liberty and justice and all those things that are talked about in the constitution.”
“But they are fleeting from our fingertips very rapidly today. We must be aware of what’s going on. We must be informed. We must be educated about what the real agenda is,” Jackson said. “If you don’t know what the real agenda is, pull up Project 2025. It’s all laid out in very simple terms, and we have to decide what we want Project 2026 to look like.”
The event closed with awards for the Centralia School District essay competition, a performance by the New Old School Fellas, and closing remarks from Jim McCully, who helped organized the event with Multiculturally Minded.
