TO: News Media
FROM: Jamar Ruff
DATE: May 15, 2023
SUBJECT: South Coast Equity Coalition Presents the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Event
For Immediate Release
The South Coast Equity Coalition in partnership with the Juneteenth Celebration Committee is hosting Coos
County’s Third Annual Juneteenth Celebration June 17th and 19th, 2023.
Our theme this year is Family Reunion. We chose this theme because for Black communities family reunions have
centered around resilience through storytelling, visibility, joy and food.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas finally learned that they had been freed from bondage. President
Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier, but Texas slaveholders
hid that fact from the people they kept in chains. Since then, generations of Black Americans have celebrated the
anniversary of that liberation as “Juneteenth.”
The South Coast Equity Coalition is honored and delighted to bring the FREE celebration to Coos County for the
third year with fun, education, entertainment, and activities for all!
Juneteenth Celebration Itinerary:
Saturday, June 17th, 2023 11am – 1pm A Keynote Address from Oregon Remembrance Project’s Taylor Stewart
A FREE discussion followed by Q&A at the Coos History Museum with Taylor Stewart. Learn about Juneteenth and
its historical ties to black communities and how resilience through equity is achieved. We will also be remembering the life of Mr. Alonzo Tucker.
Taylor Stewart has resided in Portland, OR his entire life. He graduated from the University of Portland with a
degree in Communication and Portland State University with a Master’s in Social Work. Two encounters inspired
Stewart to start the Oregon Remembrance Project. The first was a quote from John Lewis, longtime Civil Rights
icon and Congressman from Georgia, who said, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” This inspired Stewart
with the fierce urgency of now. The second was the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum where the museum focused on the stories of everyday Mississippians who did their part to pave the way for justice. This taught Stewart the idea that you don’t have to be an extraordinary person to do extraordinary things. Stewart’s life was transformed by
the opportunity to participate in the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Projects. He hopes to bring that same opportunity for transformation to other individuals and communities in Oregon.
To learn more about Mr. Alonzo Tucker follow the link: https://www.oregonremembrance.org/the-story
Saturday, June 17th, 2023
4pm – 8pm The Family Reunion Reception at Black Market Gourmet
4:30 pm Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Zoey Acker
5:00 pm Oregon’s Black Pioneers by Carolyn Acker
5:30 pm A Taste of Reliance by Chef Jardin Kazaar
6:00 pm Black National Anthem by Gold Meadows
6:30 pm Intermission (A lot of fun with music, food, and arts and crafts)
8:00 pm Closing of the Space (Call to Action) by Taylor Stewards
A FREE day at Black Market Gourmet with music, food, arts, crafts and activities for all ages!
Black Market Gourmet is located at 495 Central Ave, Coos Bay, 97420
Monday, June 19th, 2023
6pm – 8pm FREE Movie Night at the Egyptian Theatre
On the day of Juneteenth, the planning committee will be showing a family friendly movie, Soul, a Disney Pixar
film. The movie centers on Joe, a middle school band teacher who feels unfulfilled because his ambition is to be a
full-time jazz musician. On the day he lands the biggest gig of his career, Joe nearly dies — but then gets the
chance to return to his body if he can figure out the purpose of his life.
… and more!
The South Coast Equity Coalition is a Regional Health Equity Coalition (RHEC), we are an autonomous, community-
driven, and cross-sector group. We work by building on the inherent strengths of local communities to meaningfully involve them in identifying sustainable, long- term, policy, system and environmental solutions to
increase health equity for communities of color, and those living at the intersection of race/ethnicity and other
marginalized identities.
For more information about the Juneteenth Celebration and the South Coast Equity Coalition, visit
southcoastequity.org or email [email protected].
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