For these Northwest artists, this Juneteenth takes on a deeper 'urgency'

Thursday is Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Across the Northwest, local artists are using their craft to celebrate the history and stories of African Americans.

For Seattle-based cellist Gretchen Yanover, Juneteenth has always represented a combination of joy and reflection.

But this year, she says it has a more urgent tone as the climate around diversity, equity, and inclusion shifts at the national level.

"As much as this current administration is trying to wipe things out, it's a moment to gather strength, and celebrate, and connect," Yanover said. "Which keeps that strength and joy going.

On Thursday, Yanover will perform at the Washington State History Museum's Juneteenth Commemoration in Tacoma.

One song in Yanover's setlist, "If Brown Angels Could Fly", is inspired by the poetry of Raúl Sánchez, a former poet laureate for the city of Redmond.

"It really has this energy of strength and resilience," Yanover said. "I was trying to choose pieces that are reflecting this energy that I want to carry."

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The Washington State History Museum's commemoration will also feature a keynote address and storytelling from Eva Abram.

Abram began the practice of storytelling 30 years ago, and has delved into the history of African Americans living in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Telling these stories gives audiences a fuller idea of American history, Abram believes, and can fill gaps in peoples' understanding of events like Juneteenth.

"When I first started telling stories about Juneteenth, a long time ago, many people hadn't heard of Juneteenth, so I saw the importance of sharing these kinds of stories," Abram said.

Abram will tell a version of Virginia Hamilton's story "The People Could Fly."

"I talk about the difficulty, what our ancestors did to survive slavery, Abram said. "We had to have a lot of resilience to survive to get all these other descendants here today."

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In Seattle, the Northwest African American Museum will host Juneteenth: A Movement for Joy with programming at the museum, and Judkins Park.

Those looking to celebrate outside can experience exercise classes and a skate party at Judkins.

Inside the museum, visitors can get creative with crafts, games, and performances from Living Voices, a multimedia performance company that blends live actors with archival footage and sound.

The museum will host two performances - "The Right to Dream" which focuses on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and "Fly For Freedom", which chronicles the experience of Black women in World War II aviation.

Roz Cornejo plays the character Antoinette in "Fly For Freedom." Her character has a pilot's license and moves to Seattle to work at Boeing.

"I really feel that even though she struggles, this piece embodies some of that Black joy, especially in the field of aviation — one of the few fields that could really give people hope for the future and a meaningful career," Cornejo said.

While Antoinette is a composite character, her experience is rooted in the experiences of two real people: Willa Brown, a pilot who pushed for civil rights, and Janet Harmon Bragg, the first Black woman to receive a commercial pilot's license in the United States.

Cornejo says she started celebrating Juneteenth about four years ago, and this year, it has a greater meaning than it ever has before.

"When getting into acting, one of my objectives was to help tell Black, authentic stories," Cornejo said. "[It] feels like I'm living the dream."

The South Seattle Emerald has a rundown of many other Juneteenth events happening across the region. You can find that list at SouthSeattleEmerald.org.