St. Albans resident Winnie Wilkinson talks to the crowd during the city’s inaugural Juneteenth commemoration June 19.
Event organizers Lauren Dees-Erickson (left) and Reier Erickson (right).
Eliana Castro speaks during the Juneteenth commemoration.
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St. Albans resident Winnie Wilkinson talks to the crowd during the city’s inaugural Juneteenth commemoration June 19.
ST. ALBANS CITY — “All of you here today have been invited to the cookout,” Reier Erickson said into a microphone on Sunday.
In the parking lot of the Saint Albans Museum, he welcomed a crowd of over 100 to an inaugural commemoration of Juneteenth.
Behind him, burgers were cooking on the grill, and folding tables covered in plastic tablecloths offered up pasta salads, beers, chips and salsas.
Erickson explained the event was both a literal and metaphorical “cookout,” because saying someone is “invited to the cookout” is a symbolic way Black people honor non-Black allies — like Dolly Parton and Senator Bernie Sanders.
“But being invited comes with a responsibility,” Erickson added. “You’ve got to help disrupt white supremacy. It’s a call to action.”
Event organizers Lauren Dees-Erickson (left) and Reier Erickson (right).
Sunday’s public commemoration of June 19, 1865 — the day when Black slaves in Texas first learned about the Emancipation Proclamation — was a first for St. Albans City.
Though City Mayor Tim Smith proclaimed in 2021 the city would join the State of Vermont in recognizing Juneteenth as a day of remembrance, no official events were organized.
This year, community organizations, the Saint Albans Museum and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church collaborated to put together an event that was more successful than anticipated.
“I usually say it’s just the misfits who turn out for this type of event,” Erickson told the Messenger. “But this is better than I had hoped for.”
The turnout on Sunday was diverse, as folks of different ages and backgrounds came together to talk, to listen and to eat good food.
Beverages were supplied by Groennfell Meadery and Lawson’s Finest Liquids and most of the food was provided potluck-style. Kaiju Kitchen, a new Japanese takeout restaurant coming to downtown St. Albans, was also present to give the community a taste of their dishes.
Attendees were able to get their face painted, enjoy a bouncy house and speak with students from folks from Bellows Free Academy- St. Albans’ social justice club and representatives of Spectrum Youth and Family Services.
Eliana Castro speaks during the Juneteenth commemoration.
Voices Against Violence was giving away Juneteenth coloring pages and anti-racist activities to families.
The event was also in part a celebration of Pride month, and St. Albans residents Sean and Hannah Maille said they attended not only because it was a nice way to spend the weekend, but because they felt a need to support their friends and neighbors.
“I’m queer, even though I present in a heterosexual relationship,” Hannah Maille said. “Vermont appears homogeneous sometimes, so I felt a need to show up and represent the community.”
At around 4 p.m., Erickson and his wife Lauren Dees-Erickson invited a number of people up to the microphone to speak. Elaina Castro, an educator and member of the city’s Belonging, Equity and Inclusion Committee, shared what she considers the purpose of the day’s event.
“We have to acknowledge that we don't get to celebrate Juneteenth, because it's not actually a celebration when freedom was deferred for so many people,” she said. “But we can celebrate Black people and that's what this is about.”
Castro encouraged those gathered to reflect on the injustices Black people have experienced in the United States — from slavery and sharecropping to voter suppression and police brutality — and to celebrate Black resistance and resilience.
“All of these things do not define Black communities,” Castro said. “Even though all of that and more has happened, just like Maya Angelou said, ‘Like dust we rise.’
“We've managed to beat the odds and achieve the unfathomable. We've become teachers, inventors, pilots, lawyers and judges, mathematicians and engineers, painters, patriots … that list goes on. If you can't think of something Black people have done, just wait a minute. We'll do it.”
Other speakers included Rev. Preston Fuller, BEI Committee-member Reese Kelly, community member Barbara Finch and small business owner Winnie Wilkinson.
“I stand out as an African woman from the Caribbean,” Wilkinson said. “But I am proud to be an American … and I believe we all collectively can make the change that is necessary to ensure everyone is free.”
Erickson said he and others have already been discussing plans for next year’s event which they plan to make “bigger, bolder and badder.”
Bridget Higdon is the Messenger's Managing Editor. She was previously a staff writer and before that the editor-in-chief of The Vermont Cynic, UVM's independent newspaper. She loves to explore Vermont by bike and do the snow dance.
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St Albans Messenger is a twice-weekly newspaper established in 1861 covering Franklin County, Vermont. Samessenger.com publishes new content daily. Our beat reporters are on the ground covering local government, schools, sports, business and culture.