Education, connection and food were on the menu during the Taste of Juneteenth Sunday afternoon.
Hosted by the NAACP of Martha’s Vineyard, the annual event widened its scope this year.
“In past years, we’ve had tents outside with all kinds of food, but today we are going to provide a taste of learning,” Toni Kauffman, former president of the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP branch, said to the crowd.
The afternoon began with a performance from IslandHipHop, dancing to a medley of hits, including This is America by Childish Gambino and TV Off by Kendrick Lamar.
Freedom Cartwright acknowledged the importance of including youth in the programming.
“I think youth and truth rhyme for a reason,” she said.
Participants enjoyed food from local chefs Lori Edmonds, Juli Vanderhoop, Winston Christie, Deon Thomas, and Newton and Stacy Waite.
Ms. Edmonds, a caterer on the Island, took part in her third Taste of Juneteenth event.
“I just love the community and I think it’s important to participate and show a little bit of our culture, especially with food,” she said.
Ms. Edmonds began cooking when she was six years old. She believes food is key to learning about different cultures.
“We’re in volatile times right now but food seems to bring people back together,” she said.
Ms. Cartwright placed the holiday in context, including how indigenous people were also affected by slavery.
“Indigenous people that were in the place they called Texas, were unalived, genocided and expelled because [enslavers] wanted to make more space for enslavement,” she said.
Ms. Kauffman thanked both new and old members of the NAACP for making the event a success.
“One of the themes for Juneteenth this year is resilience,” she added. “Resilience is who we are. If you look at the things that we have overcome as a people, African Americans or people of color, or even immigrants, the resilience and the power to rebuild and to continue is powerful. There isn’t anything that anybody can do to us that we can’t overcome.”
Comments
Comment policy »