Juneteenth Jamboree set for June 14

FOSTORIA — Last year's debut of the Juneteenth Jamboree of Greater Fostoria went so well that organizer Davon Cousin is bringing it back."We were blessed with great weather, and people came out," Cousin said of 2024. "People came out and supported."While Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday on June 19 since 2021, this year's local celebration, as was last year's, is set for a Saturday — June 14, to be exact, from 11 a.m. to 7 a.m., at Foundation Park.The event will include food, music, a guest speaker, an awards presentation and children's activities, with the Wainwright Amphitheater serving as the hub for the activities.Cousin acknowledged that he was unsure of how well the event would go over in its first effort, seeing as such events have typically taken place in larger communities. But he said he was told that a few hundred people attended."We were definitely happy with the 300-plus folks, but we are anticipating far more this year," he said.He added: "To have to go to other places and have these kinds of celebrations, it just got to the point where it was time to have something here for our diverse community, and for people who sacrificed and would have loved to be able to see the jamboree that happened last year and that will happen on the 14th of June."Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when troops from the Union side of the American Civil War arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the freedom of enslaved people there. That action came about two years after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all slaves in the Confederate-held territories were to be free.Cousin said Juneteenth is both celebrational and educational."I think it's very important to understand that it's a holiday that everyone can be a part of — not just Black people, not just individuals of African descent," he said. "It's something that is American history. It's important and there are a lot of educational components to Juneteenth. ... History is a part of us, so to actually speak about it helps, and you gain a lot of understanding through those conversations — the difficult ones."Cousin said a detailed schedule of events has not yet been developed, but it will include a talk by Jennifer Erin Harris, a teacher at Horizon Science Academy in Toledo who was nominated for the Teacher of the Year award from Concept Schools, an organization for charter schools in the United States.Harris is the daughter of last year's speaker, Judy Jackson May, a professor at Bowling Green State University and the daughter of the late Carlos Jackson, a standout athlete from Fostoria and an inductee into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame.The jamboree began honoring "Champions of Change" in its first year, with Dorothy Burch, founder of the Fostoria chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and renowned street bricklayer Charles "Gene" Wilson being recognized posthumously.This year's honorees will be Linda Anderson, a sister of Carlos Jackson and the first African-American to be elected to the Fostoria City Schools Board of Education; and Clayton Moore, Fostoria's first Black police officer.Food trucks will be available in the park, and a rib-off competition will be conducted, along with a cornhole tournament. Activities such as bounce houses and face painting will be available to youngsters, who may also receive a free children's book while supplies last. A Juneteenth Virtual Museum tour will be available, as will a silent auction, a 50-50 raffle and shopping from vendors.Along with music from a disc jockey, performances are scheduled by the Djobi Ensemble "Wake Up Spirit" drumming group from Toledo; Nikki "D" and the Sisters of Thunder, a gospel and blues band from Toledo; and SkyLyfe, a band from Canton that plays a variety of music.Cousin said several partnerships have been forged to help the jamboree growth and while a number of people have climbed aboard to make the event grow, he's looking for more people to pitch in."I guess a lot of the ideas started with me, but the work — I have some entrusted people who I lean on and who assist," he said. "... We had some volunteers last year and they did a great job, and we're still seeking some volunteers. Everybody comes together. I keep saying 'the belief' — they believe in what we are doing and that goes a long way."Cousin said much of Fostoria's African-American history has been undocumented, but what's he's learned and witnessed makes him believe in the necessity of the Juneteenth Jamboree of Greater Fostoria."We owe this to the community," he said. "We owe this to our ancestors. We owe this to our family members and to those who have just been exuberant about what we're doing. It's very important to do it right, with some taste and class and some boldness and a lot of fun. I love doing this work — just the people who I've met along the way and the people who are genuine about they believe about freedom and community."