[Speaker 11] (0:00 - 0:23) It may be different than I thought, but she did, she performed really well. She was awesome. She was really good. I wish she could have done the whole, the whole time, the whole day, the whole time. She was having a hard time, you know. Yeah, right. [Speaker 4] (4:19 - 8:22) My name is Sean Fitzgerald. I'm a Swampskins Town Administrator. I just want to thank everybody that played a role in putting Swampskins' first annual two-team celebration together. This is awesome. Look, what we're doing here today is building community, but we're also recognizing our important responsibility to this and future generations. So with that, I'm going to start with a land acknowledgement. This is part of our recognition that we are on native soil, and this land where our town resides was once referred to as M. Swampska, which is from an Eastern Algonquin language meaning at the red rocks. Long before the fish house was built in 1896, Swampska was host to an abundant traditional fishing and hunting grounds, as well as the homes of indigenous people. We acknowledge that every moment we live, work, play, pray, gather, and study in this town of Swampska, we do so on the lands of indigenous people who for millennia, prior to European colonization, called this place home and are still here. It's important for us to think about history. It's important for us to acknowledge the truth about history. It's also important for us to recognize that we are creating history. With that, I'm excited to be here to celebrate Juneteenth. I know that folks may not know much about this important holiday, but this June 19th marks the 156th commemoration of Juneteenth. I really want us to think about the importance of freedom. Today, as a nation and as a community, freedom is such a pillar of the American dream. So too is equality, and for over 400 years, our history of slavery and racism and our nation denied these essential freedoms. Today is a day of thoughtful celebration and appreciation of the American dream and all of those dreams that were deferred for so long. While we celebrate emancipation and freedom of black and brown Americans, we all must recognize the structural legacy of slavery is reflected in inequalities, in wages, in wealth, in healthcare and housing, education, economic opportunity, including treatment by law enforcement on a local, state, and federal level. Those of us who have been granted privileges simply because of the color of our skin must recognize that generations of suffering has been visited upon those without privilege. But I also want to recognize and celebrate the new generation of Americans who refuse to inherit this legacy of mindlessness and ignorance. I'm proud of Swamp Skip for taking a stand on building a 21st century community. We are building a community that will highlight the need to work out and root out inequality and disparities in housing, income, transportation, education, employment, and other critical areas that have a direct impact on black and brown people. While there is much work to do, I am grateful and so proud of so many Swamp Skip's critical partners who have worked to build a brighter, more equitable future. I'm really excited to party today. Freedom is something that we all should celebrate. So let's get busy having some fun and enjoying this beautiful day. What better place to have a party? Let's go! At this point, I want to welcome up Phillip Alexander. He's going to share a song for us and really get this party going. Thank you. [Speaker 3] (8:32 - 11:05) Hey everybody, thank you so much Sean for those wonderful words. I'm glad you said party because this is a sing-along song. I know it says take me along. It's actually take you along. Take you along is a big part of the chorus. I want to hear everybody sing that when we get there. And it's also going to quote Bob Marley. Just two words of Bob Marley. Those words are one love and I believe those words are what this is all about. We were going to sing this song last week with my daughter Sophia for the Pride event. It was appropriate, but it's appropriate today as well. So we want you all to sing along. One love is what it's about because it's about making sure that everyone has the same rights, the same freedoms, the same opportunities. That everyone feels welcome and feels loved regardless of their race, their color, their gender, their orientation. Regardless of who they are, you are welcome here. And so with that in mind, please sing along. Let's hear this. If life is a road, let's build a bus. Guided by a love that fits all of us. The journey we're on began in a star and there's room for you. No matter who you are, we want to take you along. Take you along. One love is the road we are on. We'll share our stories and sing our song. We want to take you along. Your skin might be black, brown or white. Your eyes might be dark or your eyes might be light. You might look just like me or not at all. But there's room for one and for all. We want to take you along. Take you along. One love is the road we are on. We'll share our stories and sing our song. We want to take you along. You might have $10. You might have $20. You might have a billion or you might not have any. [Speaker 9] (11:05 - 11:05) That's alright. [Speaker 3] (11:06 - 13:59) You don't need a passport or a photo ID. You're a person that everyone can see. We want to take you along. Take you along. One love is the road we are on. We'll share our stories and sing our song. We want to take you along. You might be straight, gay, bi or trans. You might love a woman or you might love a man. But whoever you love, if your loving is true, there's a place for the both of you. Let me hear you now. Take you along. Take you along. One love is the road we are on. We'll share our stories and sing our song. We want to take you along. The climate is changing right before our eyes. The ice is melting and the seas are gonna rise. If the bus gets stuck in stormy weather, we've got to pull it out together. Come on now. Take you along. Take you along. One love is the road we are on. We'll share our stories and sing our song. We want to take you along. Take you along. Take you along. One love is the road we are on. We'll share our stories and sing our song. We want to take you along. We want to take you along. That's right, cuz. We'll share your story and sing your song. We want to take you along. We want to take you along. Thank you so much. Hey, before I hop off here quick enough and let Mr. Burdolph give us some more information about Juneteenth and what this is all about, I just want to quickly let you know that we are going to be having summer concerts here this summer. I'm part of the Swampscot Summer Concert Planning Committee. And we'll be having summer concerts again this summer starting Sunday, June 27. So please make a note of that. Sunday, June 27 at 6 p.m. We have an awesome R&B band lined up. And we hope to see you. You can check on our website and our Facebook for more information. And Porsche Fest is coming too. Thank you so much, everybody. [Speaker 9] (14:23 - 14:24) Hello, everyone. [Speaker 5] (14:25 - 14:36) My name is Aaron Burdolph. I'm part of the Swampscot Racial Justice Action Group. And now I forget. What are we here today celebrating? Juneteenth! I think we can do a little better. What are we here celebrating? [Speaker 9] (14:37 - 14:37) Juneteenth! [Speaker 5] (14:37 - 17:41) That's right. Juneteenth. June 19, 1865. June 19, Juneteenth. Jubilee Day. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which directed that all enslaved people in the Confederate States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free. Two and a half years is how long it took for the Union troops from Dallas, New Texas to take control of the state and enforce that Emancipation Proclamation throughout all of the rebellious states. When out there, an announcement was made. The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with the Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. Now, throughout the Civil War, Texas had been largely untouched by battle. And as the Confederacy lost its footing, enslavers fled to Texas so they could continue to profit off of the system of slavery. Well, over 200 years since enslaved people from Africa have been forced to set foot on this continent. Over 200 years of resistance. Finally, all slaves are free. And even then, saying something doesn't always make it true. Some enslavers declined to hear what that Proclamation was saying until after the harvest was completed that year. But still, it was coming. And for around 200,000 enslaved people in Texas, celebrations began to break out all across the state. They were going to be free. Now, later that year, in December, the 13th Amendment was adopted, which formally abolished slavery. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted shall exist within these United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. And then the next year, 1866, free people in Texas organized what was to become an annual celebration, a special anniversary, Jubilee Day. From Texas, the Juneteenth celebration, as it is now called because those Union troops rolled up on June 19th, has spread amongst black communities throughout the rest of the country, and eventually, other people started recognizing what the end of slavery means for the country. It set forth the ideal that all people are created equal. Now, in 1971, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday. And other states soon followed. And just this past week, a bill to make Juneteenth a national holiday has passed through the Senate, it passed through the House, and now it's going to the President's desk to sign. And even right here, we are having our very first Juneteenth celebration in Swaziland. So let's give a round of applause for that. Thank you all very much for attending, thank you all for being here, we appreciate you. I hope you have a wonderful Juneteenth celebration. Thank you. [Speaker 7] (17:51 - 19:44) Hello everybody, I'm Tanya, and I contributed in a lot of racial justice in town, within the town, and just recognizing a lot of dialogue that we needed to have within the town. And today, I just wanted to talk about the significance of Juneteenth, and the reason why it's important to celebrate it. Juneteenth is a day that represents the true freedom of African Americans during the year of 1865, 89 years after the country declared its initial separation from England in 1776. By recognizing holidays like Juneteenth, we acknowledge that the state of our country has once been divided. We acknowledge that the many elements of racial discrimination are to blame for the lack of freedom of black people and other people of color. And by recognizing this, we recognize the respect that is needed for our future, and the disrespect that is embedded in the fabric of our country's history. Although this inequality will remain a part of our history through the time ahead, we can use this history to weave a new fabric of justice and knowledge into our future. We use this to start discussion within the town. And we must continue to have this dialogue and these discussions facing inequality and other issues that we face within different racial groups. As a Swampscott resident, I acknowledge that this ability to analyze these experiences head-on is what makes this place a better place to live. The visions of a better tomorrow start by being conscious of the failures of our nation's past. So thank you so much for being here and recognizing. [Speaker 9] (20:07 - 20:08) Thank you. [Speaker 6] (20:30 - 23:57) Hey guys, how's everyone doing today? My name's Al Bangora. I'm an incoming senior at the Swampscott High School. I've been going to Swampscott for probably 12 to 13 years, and I have a speech by Langston Hughes to read to you guys today. Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain, seeking a home where he himself was free. America never was America to me. Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed. Let it be that great song, land of love, where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme. That any man be crushed by one above. It never was America to me. Oh, let my land be a land where liberty is crowned with no false patriotic grade. Where opportunity is real and life is free. Where equality is in the air we breathe. There's never been equality for me, nor freedom in this homeland of the free. Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart. I am the Negro, bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man, driven from the land. I am the immigrant, clutching the hope I seek. And finding only the same old stupid plan. Of dog eat dog. Of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope. Tangled in the ancient, endless chain. Of profit, power, gain. Of grab the land. Of grab the gold. Of grab the ways of satisfying need. Of work the men. Of take the pay. Of owing everything for everyone's own greed. I am the farmer, bondsman to the soul. I am the worker, soul to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean. Hungry yet today, despite the dream. Beaten yet today, old pioneers. I am the man, who never got ahead. The poorest worker, bartered through the years. Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream. In the old world, while still a serf of kings. Who dreamt the dream so strong, so brave, so true. That yet, its mighty daring sings. In every brick and stone, in every furrowed turn. That's made America, the land it has become. Oh, I'm the man who sailed those early seas. In search of what I meant to be my home. For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore. And Poland's plain. And England's grassy meadow. And torn from black Africa's strand. I came to build a homeland of the free. The free. Who said the free? Not me. Surely not me. The millions on relief today. The millions shot down when we strike. The millions who have nothing for our pay. For all the dreams we've dreamed. And all the songs we've sung. And all the hopes we've held. And all the flags we've hung. The millions who have nothing for our pay. Except the dream that's almost dead today. Thank you very much. Thank you. [Speaker 10] (24:23 - 24:51) My name is John. And I'm going to be reciting a poem. From Africa's heart we rose. Already a people. Our face is ebony. Our bodies lean. We rose. Skills of art, life, beauty, and family. Crushed by forces we knew nothing of. We rose. We rose. We rose to be you. We rose to be me. Above everything we expected. We rose. [Speaker 12] (24:53 - 24:58) To become the knowledge we never knew. We rose. Dream we did. Act we must. [Speaker 9] (25:20 - 25:21) Hey y'all. [Speaker 2] (25:21 - 25:42) Happy Juneteenth. Okay. We are still. We are here. We are going to be doing our inaugural flag raising. And it will be a true, true honor. For me to introduce Sasha Rae. Who will be leading us in the Black National Anthem. Thank you, sis. [Speaker 8] (25:48 - 27:11) Hi, good afternoon. Hi. You can join me if you know it. You can hum along if you know the melody. Okay. Lift every voice and sing. Till earth and heaven ring. Ring with the harmonies of liberty. Let our rejoicing rise. High as the listening skies. Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us. Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Facing the rising sun of our new day begun. Let us march on till victory is won. Thank you. [Speaker 2] (27:29 - 27:37) If y'all can turn your attention to the flagpole. We will be raising the Juneteenth flag. Thank you all so much. [Speaker 9] (28:29 - 28:52) Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. [Speaker 12] (28:52 - 28:54) Hi. Hi. [Speaker 9] (28:58 - 29:32) Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. I was going to say, a couple others, though. Yeah. Charles? Yeah, I want to get those. [Speaker 1] (30:05 - 39:38) Good afternoon everyone. It is my... I want to thank you for this opportunity to speak with you regarding Juneteenth. You notice in the program that I had to give a title to these remarks and it's Juneteenth and the Big Lie. And it's an attempt to fuse yesteryear, yesterday, and tomorrow. And quite frankly, the poetry of the folks who've spoken before have said much of what I'm going to allude to. Judith and the Big Lie is inspired by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived and lived for a number of years, and probably walked along Kings Beach, probably stood in this great lawn. He was born in slavery, the son of a black woman who had been raped by the white slave owner. And he freed himself and came north. He was invited in 1852 to speak at a Fourth of July celebration. And in his remarks, he talked about the wisdom of the signers of that declaration and what great men they were, and what great ideas they presented in the Declaration of Independence, and the whole idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But he said to the group, why did you invite me to speak? I'm a fugitive. At this very moment, he said, slave owners could come and take me back to South and re-enslave me. Why did you invite me? To make fun of me? And he said, and let me just give you his own words and his eloquence about the meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro. He said, the rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice. I'm on. And he referred to the people who were still enslaved, who were subject to the slavery slash, families scattered, dismembered, people dehumanized, and so on. And what he was doing, and he called it hypocrisy, I'm referring to it as the big lie, was comparing the great ideals of this country, independence, freedom, and then the reality of this country in terms of slavery. Douglas lived through some of the greatest and darkest moments of this society. He lived through the Civil War. It's said that he was second only to Lincoln in terms of being photographed and popular. He was internationally known. And during the Civil War, he advised Lincoln to let black soldiers fight. Lincoln reluctantly did so. He advised Lincoln to free the enslaved. And Lincoln very cautiously and reluctantly, as someone mentioned earlier, freed the slaves in the rebellion states. Not everyone. And at the conclusion of the war, the winning of the war, he helped Lincoln and others do reconstruction. And this was a series of activities and programs where, because education was so important, they built schools and universities and banks to provide the economic support to the newly freed people. And the Freedmen's Bureau, programs in the South that tried to ensure the safety and the political participation of the newly freed people. And there was a great success. Black men were able to vote. At that time, women still couldn't vote. And they say that 85 percent of eligible voters voted. That's, you know, we don't even do that today. And many of them were elected to state legislatures, to Congress, to governorship. And Douglas mourned the passing of Lincoln because it meant the ascendancy of the white supremacist Andrew Johnson. And Johnson, in order to assure his election as president, did a wave of reconstruction. And with the ending of reconstruction, you had the rise of the KKK. And the KKK terrorized not just black folks, but also Catholics and Jews, and also the immigrants of that time who weren't considered white, like the Italians and Greeks. Black codes were enacted. And in doing so, they almost reestablished slavery, limiting where people could work, limiting their right to protest, and many other things. But most importantly, there was extensive voter suppression. And so many of the political gains during reconstruction were lost, and not even close to being reestablished until the 1960s when the Voting Rights Act was passed. And as someone said earlier, the other big lie was the Juneteenth in Texas. Because, you know, those slave owners, they knew that the war had been lost. They knew that the Emancipation Proclamation had been passed. But they did not tell the black folks. And a lie is not just what you say, it's also what you don't say. And for years after, they continued to work, and it's said that the announcement wasn't made until after harvest. So their labor was again stolen. Now, I want to point out that that was more than 100 years ago. And none of us here bear any responsibility for those actions. That was then. But we do have a responsibility and an accountability for today. Where Douglas talked about the difference between the reality of the Declaration of Independence and the reality of slavery. He called it hypocrisy. I'm referring to that as the big lie. Because today we have another big lie. Where it said that our president is illegitimate. Where it said that the election was stolen. And based on this lie, people stormed our capital. People were injured. People died. And in fact, I want to suggest that we're being generous to call that a lie. That is actually sedition, overthrowing the government. I mention all of that to you because as black folks, we have gained a lot. But we've also lost a lot with the ending of Reconstruction. So we know that the future is not promised. That every generation has to work to maintain the gains that have been made. And to challenge, to continue to challenge this great country to live up to its own values. The challenge that I offer to all of us here. One, we should be so proud of our town to have this event. And the other thing is, we need to do our work and take our responsibility to uphold American ideals. This democracy is an experiment. It only works if we work. We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among them are life, like for George Floyd and others. And liberty, like for Schumer. And the pursuit of happiness for our children and future generations. [Speaker 2] (40:06 - 44:50) Hey, y'all. It's me again. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Tammy Faye Menead. And my pronouns are she, her, and superwoman. Okay? Let's get this started here. So I just want to say thank you to the town of Swampscott. I want to say thank you to our community members. I want to say thank you to our youth who showed up and showed out today. Thank you very, very much. I have a few parting words for us, and then we're going to let the DJ do his thing. Okay? Will y'all dance with me? All right, all right. I'll take that as a maybe. Here we go. 156 years later and Juneteenth is becoming a federal holiday. Yes. Joy and resistance are one and the same. To resist the omnipresent, the intrusive, the pervasive nature of white supremacy, we must also allow ourselves to be rebelliously joyous. Black folk did not fix systemic racism. We did not draft the Constitution. In fact, we were still enslaved at the time. The U.S. Constitution counted us as three-fifths of a man. Property like a horse or an ox. The laws were separate but equal. Voter disenfranchisement. Wow. Housing discrimination, such as redlining. Historically racially driven criminal justice policy initiatives, the effects of which continue to marginalize my community in America today. These were not passed by us. We cannot fix a broken system that we did not create. We cannot fix a system that serves the interests of the majority and minimizes the rest. Until the majority believes this is problematic, nothing. Nothing will change. Change takes intention. Intention begins with motivation. Until the majority is ready to fight against injustices, nothing will change. Let's do the work. Let's do the work. Okay? Black liberation is a destination not yet reached, but we celebrate the freedoms we have in our joy, in our dreams, in the little ways of everyday things, as we fight for true equity and full emancipation. We continually reimagine what freedom would truly mean once supremacy is abolished. Every piece of freedom we've ever won has freed others. I'm going to say it again for the people in the back. Every piece of freedom we've ever won has freed others. Which means black liberation will liberate everyone. Y'all, thank you. Amplifying black joy is not about dismissing or creating an alternative black narrative that ignores the realities of our pain, our collective pain. Rather, it is about holding these pain and injustices that we have experienced as black folks around the world in tension with joy. We experience the pain in the midst of the celebration. It's about using that joy as an entry into the understanding the oppressive forces we have navigated through and what it means to imagine and create a world free. Create a world that's free. Create a world that is free for each and every one of us. Dear black peoples, Thank you. You are love. You deserve justice. Scott stands with you.