Juneteenth Breaks Free

New Haven youth like Des’Tahnee Manick-Highsmith were given the opportunity to showcase their talents during a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday at Goffe Street Park.

The day-long event was a time to reflect on American history and rejoice for the collaboration between Amistad Committee Inc. and The Descendants of the Connecticut 29th Colored Regiment C.V Infantry Inc. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and told the remaining 250,000 slaves in Texas that they were free. That marked an official end of slavery in the United States.

With a mix of excitement and nervousness on Saturday, Manick-Highsmith said she performed to honor her Black ancestors and the historical obstacles they endured and survived. ​“I’ve always felt the need to make people feel things while I dance,” she said.

Manick-Highsmith, 17, is a rising senior at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School. She performed a dance routine during the event that she choreographed herself.

Manick-Highsmith’s original vision for her performance was with a group of six made up of a three-song set. As the performance day neared, however, her group decreased to four then about two weeks before Saturday she decided to make the performance a solo routine.

“I wanted the people to feel empowered, unapologetic, and aware of their roots,” Manick-Highsmith said.

Her uncle, Michael Jefferson, and father Gary Highsmith brought the opportunity to her attention and helped her to sign-up for a performance time.

Manick-Highsmith used the Saturday event as an opportunity to connect with the audience and better her dance skills and confidence. In the future, she said she plans to attend Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) for a dance education degree with a minor in theatre. Manick-Highsmith said she then wants to become a dance teacher with a dance studio in New Haven.

Saladin Hasan, 27, also known as “Trooper” (pictured above) performed three of his original songs for the Saturday event despite being told about the opportunity the night before. His songs most often discuss his experiences within the Black community and messages for others of self-empowerment and social awareness.

“When you have the knowledge you feel like correcting people, it’s a huge responsibility,” Hasan said. 

Hasan graduated from Hyde Leadership School then went on to attend the University of New Haven (UNH) for studies in forensic science. Though he eventually left UNH to pursue his passion for music. Hasan described his music as a mix of old school R&B and soft rock.

A jack of all trades, Hasan also created his own clothing brand called “Lycan In Wolf Clothing” and plays for the semi-professional football team the Connecticut Mustangs. This year was the first time in ten years that Hasan played football since injuring his ankle during his college football career.

Hasan said his clothing brand will aim to be an affordable alternative to the many expensive name brands known today that have been glorified in hip-hop music historically. The expensive name brands are detached from their consumers he said. “We’re feeding people that don’t like us,” he said.

Hasan has released two tapes on SoundCloud and has written over a hundred songs since his start with songwriting around 16 years old. He is currently working on a new project called “C Street Raised Me” which he said will be a dedication to his upbringing in the 1990s and his family. He plans to finish and release the project by the end of the year.

Kai Perry, Michael Jefferson, and Kelly Mero-Ridenhour (pictured above) were a part of the event’s organizing committee. This is the second year Amistad Committee Inc. has hosted a Juneteenth celebration. Perry said since the start of planning, for this year’s event, around October 2018 the committee wanted the event to focus on educating the community and highlighting local Black businesses.

“This year we wanted to bring our event directly to the black community to educate and celebrate,” Perry said.

Vendors like the Connecticut Bail Fund and the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center tabled at the event. The Elephant in the Room (EIR) Boxing Club also held a boxing demonstration to shed light on its children’s summer camp aimed at teaching youth discipline, self-control, and healthy exercise outlets.

“This program is not just about boxing it’s about getting these young kids off the streets,” said Solomon Maye, a coach at EIR.

Hilda Kilpatrick and Jeffrey Fletcher sat with Fletchers’ collection of African American artifacts. Visitors were able to look at the collection made up of memorabilia like signs, shackles, and helmets. Fletcher described his collection as ​“images of America and challenges of the badge.”

The event also hosted a basketball tournament for youth, an arts and crafts table, a moonbounce for young children, and a day-long DJ from Path to Paradise Entertainment and Moving Target Media.

Members of the Blue Steel Drumline from Southern Connecticut State University also performed at the event.

With a turnout of more than 100, the event offered New Haveners an educational experience about the holiday Juneteenth and a fun-filled sunny afternoon in the community.