 Good afternoon, everyone. I am Reverend Mark Hughes. I am the executive director of the Vermont Regional Justice Alliance. And these folks here standing behind me stand with me to come out today and announce the fifth annual First African Landing Day here in Vermont. The fifth annual First African Landing Day here in Vermont. You know, I want to, you know, to share with you a couple things. On the onset, I'll come back and talk to you more later, but there's quite a few speakers that we want to get through. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to just hold back a little bit, you know, on the front. There is an intersection of the 1619 traveling exhibit, as well as the 400-year African American History Commission that I personally found in 2019. And this would merge into what has now been proclaimed by our governor as Vermont's First African Landing Day. So this is very much about 1619. And what I would add to that is that one would be hard-pressed to find a day in history that has more consequential and profound impact on this nation. And indeed, this plane, the 20th day of August in 1619, African Landing Day, focuses on learning more about that day. It also focuses on its legacy, which we experience every day. So it is with great honor and pride that I stand before you today to reintroduce you to First African Landing Day, because we're not going anywhere. We'll be back next year with First African Landing Day. But I add to that that where First African Landing Day was born, it is very important to understand, is because it is at the impetus of First African Landing Day has everything to do with the legacy of slavery. And the work of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance has sought for the last several years to address just that, or otherwise referred to as systemic racism. In all of our work across outreach and education, policy, community engagement and support, and cultural empowerment, what we stand together to do today is to bring our flagship event of cultural empowerment that seeks to address systemic racism to the forefront yet again. Now, here's what's really interesting about this event today is that we are hosting a press conference here from the Richard Kemp Center. Richard Kemp Center, it serves as the cradle, if you will, of all cultural empowerment for Black folks here, by Black folks, for Black folks in the community of Burlington for the purpose of addressing systemic racism, and that is what we know to be those disparate outcomes across all social determinants. Here we deliver programs and services that have been otherwise inefficient, ineffective, or just non-existent. Here in the Richard Kemp Center, this is what it's here for. The first time in history that an organization has created an entity like this in the community of Burlington, we are here. This is us. This is our house. Finally, before I introduce the director of the Richard Kemp Center, my wife, Christine Hughes, I would like to also add to you that a significant importance in triangulating on this event today is the presence of the traveling exhibit for 1619, which came right out of Old Point Comfort, where the White Lion landed the 20th of August in 1619. That museum, that is standing directly behind us. This is the traveling exhibit for 1619. It is here in our house on this day. Two of one of my favorite people in the world, who's not the best, Christine Hughes. I'm so excited about all the work that they've been doing. Make sure you come out tomorrow to the Intervail Center. Rain or shine. Come on down. It's going to be a great day. And we're so proud of what has happened with the Richard Kemp Center. And as Mark said, this is our house. My brother Vincent is always saying that and we really mean it. We're not just saying that because it sounds good. This is our house. If there isn't something here that we're already doing that meets your needs, come on over. Let's sit down and talk about it because we have the capacity to create new programs and activities. So I just really want to invite the community out tomorrow for First African Manning Day and to come by the Richard Kemp Center and check out what we're doing. Thank you. Oh, and tonight is movie night. Bring the kids. One of the things that I thought would be awesome today is that we can introduce some of the folks who are, who've been here, who've been supporting these efforts and who do the work every day, who are doing the work before, who are doing the work now. And I know they'll be here with us next year. So I know some of the programs and services that we've been supporting and and implementing throughout the community, some of them has had a lot to do with our culture in our communities, has had a lot to do with artistry, because after all that's where American culture comes from, is Black folks. So here, so here's, I'm here to introduce you to one of my favorite folks who supports, upholds and represents the culture, the Black cultural art here in the city of Burlington. That is my sister Omega Jade. Yes, I'm Omega Jade and I am proud to be a part of this community. The Richard Kinsinger and Racial Justice Alliance. I've been a part of this for a little over a year and I am now proud to say I am a community partner with them. With that being said, I'm inviting you to join us tomorrow because my Black artist market will be one of the festivities that will be a part of Vermont's first African language event tomorrow. So come show some support, get some food. I got candles and other stuff. I might even perform. So yes, please come. You're all invited. You're welcome. I'm just looking around to see who else is behind me. You got a little behind you sometimes in this work. So listen, what here's what we're going to do is I want to hear, we want to hear a little bit from one of our great partners, community partners who supported us who just stood hand in hand with us in the work and continue to stand hand in hand with the work that we do, particularly as it pertains to our youth and in our community. It's a rough well inside of the school districts across the state. We have a partner in the Burlington School District. Sparks, can you talk to us? Thank you. First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Mark and Christine and their team. A center like this has been long overdue. I've been in Vermont since 1992. And as we think about racism and dismantling the white supremacy culture, we've never had a place like this for us, for Black people, for Black people, Black people doing things for other Black people, especially our Black youth. As we think about community partnerships, first and foremost, we have to think about those agencies that are committed to the work, committed to serving the needs of our youth. As I think about the school district, we have a long way to go. As we think about dismantling white supremacy culture and anti-racism, we have a superintendent that is now committed to that work, Tom Flanagan, who I would say has been one of the first superintendents that we have had and we have gone this deep and dismantling white supremacy culture and anti-racism because our schools is one of the places that it starts. The school is committed to dismantling white supremacy culture and anti-racism. As I think about the first African-American landing day, it is something that our students need to fully understand, our white faculty and staff need to fully understand, and they need to embrace, and we need to embrace this in our teaching every day. Thank you. So speaking of the schools, one of the things that I thought was important because we've had here in the Richard Kim Center over the last six weeks, just a group of incredibly dynamic youth, a couple white young men, I think about five black young women who were, I think, previously actually leading over at the racial justice academy, and they joined us for the duration of the major part of summer here as interns and just have began some of the most incredible work that you might imagine from a perspective of wellness. They've been doing a lot of work from the perspective of wellness, and there's one individual who sat in with me on our television program, Justice Position, and he's also here with us today, and I'd love to hear from him. We have Aiden Argrave with us this morning. I would just like to say that the reason I'm here and why I chose to work over this summer is because in the middle of school there was a lot of stuff that's happening, like a lot of stuff like systemic racism that just wasn't being fixed in the school district and wasn't being addressed, and I decided to do something useful with my summer. So I signed up for Summer Race Justice Academy, and that led to the opportunity to work with the Racial Justice Alliance, and that led to a pretty productive summer with more that I'd accomplished than I ever thought I could as a student, and... Yeah, watch your back. So yeah, I'm definitely excited about having just all of the youth in this summer. Also, as Black folks, we understand, and as Black folks, we stand united and recognizing the profound impact of our struggles throughout history. Our journey has been marked by underlying determination, unyielding determination, courage, and an unbreakable spirit that has propelled us forward. We honor those who came before us, who endured the horrors of slavery, segregation, and systemic racism. They bore the weight of oppression on their shoulders, yet they never succumbed to despair. That's why we're here. Our ancestors and their unwavering faith and resilience have paved the way for our progress. They fought for their freedom, risking everything to forge a path of liberation. Their sacrifices, their blood, and their tears. Why do the seeds of change that continue to grow within us today? Their struggles were not in vain. They fortified our feelings in igniting a fire within us that refuses to be extinguished. That is why we are here this year. We are saying, through the fire, as a theme for 2020. New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church is a partner and friend of the work of my racial justice alliance, and I am a minister at New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church. It is the tradition of my faith to do justice, love, mercy, and walk humbly in the presence of the Most High God. I would be remiss if I did not invite my sister, Adnan Robinson, to say a few words. I am very, very humbled and very pleased to be a part of such an amazing journey. I am truly grateful for having the first African landing celebration here in Vermont. We are proud that this is the fifth annual celebration. And us at New Alpha, we are very, very pleased and happy with the work, and we will be a part. So come down to the Intervail Center, hear all about what New Alpha has to offer and who we are, and still in this community. We appreciate everyone here at the Richard Kent Center and all of the staff that's here, especially my dear sister Christine Hughes, who is also a part of New Alpha. So we are just grateful, and we thank you all for being a part of what we have to offer and celebrate with us and stand with us. So continue to do the work. We carry the legacy with us. Knowing that our strengths, they flow, their strengths flow through our veins, their resilience courses through our hearts, reminding us that we too have the power to overcome any obstacle in our path. From generation to generation, the torch of hope has passed down, lighting the way for us to march forward. And are you the vibrant and resilient souls who carry the promise of a brighter future tomorrow? They embody the strength and the potential of our community. They bear witness to our history and their shoulders are touched by the struggles we have faced, but they do not falter. Instead, they stand tall, fueled by the fire that burns within them. They are the architects of our future, the ones who will continue to fight for justice and equality. Directors here present with us today, and we would love to hear a couple remarks from Deacon Roy Hill, also a member of New Appemissionary Baptist Church. Thank you, Reverend Mark, Executive Director, Vermont Rachel, Justice Alliance. Thank you for the beginning. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for this powerful moment and the correct history that is impactful more today than yesterday, but symbol of the literal reality. Reminds me of scripture that speaks to the reality that without education, we are about the reality of what has happened in terms of the history of this country and the concrete effort going back through all the questions we deny that reality. It's time to rest on your shoulders. Rest on your shoulders of men and women who went before us. Rest on your shoulders of boys and girls of yesterday and today. They stand and you see them here, symbolizing my truth and that empowered, talented kids who have come down to history to sustain me. And there was the Executive Director, another literal and figurative leader. First, a woman, a mother, a woman who speaks to me into existence more than this human family, the African American human family in particular, but a person through this abuse or crest denied much as the bullies in the 1700s who gathered in Philadelphia to pull together a constitution of speaking to justice and democracy, but denying to women, denying to African Americans, oh people there, that the denial of our presence, instead of the denial of our presence in our lives, continue to this very day. We're in Vermont that model says freedom and unity, but if we have freedom and unity, how can you have it if you deny the people who look like those who are here, who are part of the majority, the populative, think of that when someone looks at someone like me, or a lot better than Mark, or a lot like our Executive Director, Christine, and as I called, and especially our children, who are part of a mighty, but not a minority, we will not be denied, we deny, we forevermore keep going on because our rights and we are charged to do the right thing, so help us God, amen. I just wanted to do that again. So there are some housekeeping things I want to run by, we're almost to the close of this. For those of you who haven't, who thought this may not may have not gone so long, we've been waiting for 400 years, so we're going to take our time, if we need to go, we need to be understanding, although we're going to keep the fight. So definitely it is important to understand that we still have free tickets that are available that are out here. Last check I think we had like over 220 people registered signed up. Squirrely, there's a lot of stuff going on. I wanted to also mention that there's going to be food and music and dancing and speakers and exhibits and there's going to be a youth home-based barn, so if you're watching this and you're a youth and you're not there, shame on you because they're going to talk about you. The legendary Bobby Hackney is going to be there. I said the legendary Bobby Hackney is going to be there. You know the CEO, I just got off the moment with her today, our own Dr. Wanda Hay-Ram. She's actually delivered the keynote before, but you weren't watching then, but it's okay, we're going to continue to do this. And then also here in the Richard Kim Center, I'm so excited to say this. So here in the Richard Kim Center, what we have going on is we have the African-American history wall, which is already erected and it's developing into work in progress, and that's amazing. Yeah, there's going to be some local African-American cultural and art exhibits as well. You see like some already starting to go up here in the center, so there will be that going on. And of course, there will also be the 1619 Traveling Exhibit, which is right behind us here. At the same time, there will be transportation that's taking folks from here down there and down there, up here, so all of that will be going on at the same time. Again, tickets are available and they are free. I do have one community partner that's here with us and I know that Annette is very new to CHT, but she's also one of our very own and maybe not necessarily eager to have a word with you all, but with some coaching, we can probably get her to say a few words for us Annette. We're multiple hats in the community. As a community member, I am excited about First African Landing Day. I hope you all are able to join us and I look forward to helping make this change in our community, which is well overdue. Julie, it's Julie. I have one of my favorite senators here with us and we did, just so you know, in addition to all of the signatures of the racism as a public health emergency, which includes every single one of the 30 that's here within this community to include the city, the Chittin County Regional Planning, the hospital, community opportunities credit union, the list goes on. You all have those. Those of you in the press, you have those because we did this. Remember in 2020, we did this. So all of those were invited and so were many, many, many others to include a vast array of elected officials, including everybody from the leadership all the way on down. So we are not absent people here for lack of our outward communicating, but we are still standing and we're still doing the work. So we don't want to shame them out, but we do want to call them in because this is where it's happening this weekend. So I am really proud to say that we did get a taker no less from the Senate of Vermont General Assembly. So let me just briefly introduce who has someone who has been an ally with the work that we're doing. Senator, I'm going to mess it up, Julie. Thank you. A little reluctant to speak because white people often speak for and speak over folks of color, so I'm going to keep it really short, but I'm so honored to be here. It means a lot to me to be invited and I'm so thrilled that I could make it. I am also on the Burlington School Board, some of you know, as well as in the Senate, and I'm so thankful to smarts for being here today and our students. They do incredible work and superintendent Flanagan is here as well. So, you know, Nicole Hannah-Jones is a hero of mine and her work is incredibly important and vital to our whole country, and she also has a lot of work about public education. So those of you who know of her 1619 project, I would urge you to try to listen up and read some of the work that she's done around public education. It's really important. It is, in some ways, in our country we are more segregated than we've ever been before in terms of our education and that is a big problem. School vouchers, public money going to private schools, these are things we all need to look at. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, we are so pleased to have had the opportunity to spend the time today with you. We certainly don't take this opportunity to get in front of you for granted. We just want to make sure that, you know, those folks who are across the state that they're having an opportunity to see what it is that is happening, there is a tectonic shift that's happening, not just across this nation, but across this planet right now. What a time to be alive. What a time to be alive. There's a lot of things that are happening right now. I think those of us, especially those who are ascribed to the traditions of faith, are, we're buckling down, we're standing strong, but I think in particular when we start to think about these things that are being unearthed, these facts, these disinformation that's being made readily available to us, we can no longer hide behind objective, we can no longer make a decision to hide in cognitive dissonance because what we're experiencing is real. So we are on the move. We're going to continue to do this work. 1619 project was mentioned. Yes, we are. We're meeting in these facts. This is, the Academy has already finalized its analysis on the research involved in this project. The reluctance is not the Academy, the reluctance is the community, and the reluctance is the the politicization of what it is that we're talking about. But the Academy has already settled in the facts concerning who we are as a nation and where we've come from. So the disconnect that you're experiencing, if anything has more to do with the fact that you haven't academically engaged in what it is that we're talking about, because the facts bear out what it is we're talking about with this first African land. Besides, Nicole Hannah Jones and I are from the same hometown, so you can't go wrong with that. So we thank you for coming out together. We navigate through the fire, guided by wisdom of those who have come before us and inspired by the potential of those who will follow us. We're not alone in this journey. We are a collective force bound together by the threads of our shared history and the people for a better future. Through the fire, we emerge as warriors fighting for justice, equality, and a world where we can all thrive. In our pursuit of a brighter tomorrow, we stand unwavering and unturned. We march forward with the conviction that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice, and it is our duty to shape that arc with our unwavering determination. Our struggles have and will continue to strengthen us, fortifying our spirit and driving us towards a future where equality and opportunity abound. Through the fire, we rise transcending the limitations imposed upon us. We are a testament to the power of resilience, the beauty of unity, and the boundless strength that resides within each and every one of us. Our story is one of triumph over adversity, and as we forge ahead, we carry with us the knowledge that our journey is not just for us, but for the liberation of all. Thank you, and good afternoon. Oh, I don't know who's best to answer this, maybe Antoinette, because you had a good plug for tomorrow's event, but I think our viewers, our readers might benefit from hearing a little more about the tone of the event, because when we talk about the legacy of slavery, obviously slavery is, I think most sane people would agree, is the most shameful stain on our country's history. I don't want people to think this event is going to be a downer. So talk maybe a little bit about what they can expect, or you can do a round robin, but here's what I'm the, my initial response to that is that that's very typical of a question and it's very predictable in terms of a question of a privileged white reporter who is living in steeped in that privilege. So I think the challenge with propagating and disseminating the information surrounding our true history has been, it's been allegedly at the expense of the comfortability of white people. So my response, and I will speak as a minister, as Mark Hughes, but also as the executive director for my racial justice alliance, is that there is a choice, there's a decision that we all must make when we determine whether we want to be a part of, and I think of the last sentence that I said, maybe it wasn't, maybe people didn't pick up on it, but it says that our story is one of triumph over adversity and we forge ahead, we carry with us knowledge that our journey is not just for us. I just said this a minute ago, but for the liberation of all. So if somebody who is white and steeped in their privilege can't hear that, who keeps in? I guess what I'm struggling with, this is an event for us, for black people. So how can anybody ask a question as we think about our liberation, our freedom, and who we are as black people to say, is it going to be a downer event? Nothing we do for us is a downer event. When white folks took over the mall, I've never heard anybody calling that a downer event when they were trying to take over democracy. But here we are as black people in one of the widest states in the nation doing something for us, our legacy, our children, and as Mark said, for everybody. So for anybody to ask a question, is it going to be a downer event? I don't even know what that means, because again, to be perfectly clear, there's nothing we do for us by us, that's a downer event. Everything that we do for us is to lift us up, to help us rise above folks that think that we do things for us, that's going to be a downer event. I find that question humiliating. No, not just from you, from anybody. But how many people are saying, is this going to be one of those events where black folks are going to get together and have a good time? Damn right, yes, we are. We're going to get together and we're going to sing, we're going to dance, we're going to eat, and we're going to have a good time. We're going to also talk to folks about all the things that they do to help keep us down. We are going to rise up, as Mark said, whether folks like it, whether folks are ready for it or not. We are here and we're not going anywhere. Sound like you got everybody stirred up. Let's get after this. My response to the question is, it's a space for us to feel empowered, which we haven't felt in a long time. And it's also an environment for any allies or anyone that wants to know the history of 1619 and the history of black Americans, African Americans, to join us. And as Mark said, we're going to celebrate as we know how. And we just encourage everyone to join us if you want to learn more about our history. When I said predictable, I think that we would be kind of naive if we didn't acknowledge the fact that all of the so-called cultural wars are tied up into the premise upon which this is actually founded intentionally, because our culture is American culture. So-called critical race theory. When you start talking about that, any engagement in that as an argument assumes that systemic racism, the legacy of slavery does not exist. But if systemic racism, the legacy of slavery does exist, then as critical as it is, and as much of our racism is, it ain't no theory. And there is something that we need to teach our children and teach one another about this country that previously was not known. And it will be undergirded, undergirded with the empirical and the quantitative data that consistently and insidiously and simultaneously communicates the disparities that are being produced through all systems, all social determinants of health at the same time. So really what we're talking about here with this commemoration is an acknowledgement of an unearthing of something that we previously did not know in what, even though academically it was supported, probably it's been supported for about 40 years. As I said earlier, there's a disconnect in our knowledge that we have across our communities, and that is not by accident. But now, what we have more than ever because of Nicole, because of the 1619 project, because of the 400-year African American History Commission, and because of many other works, what we're seeing here is a validation of the academy, as they've been speaking for decades. So this is an opportunity for us in Vermont, as our governor proclaimed, to say that the fourth Saturday of August in perpetuity is, indeed, the first African landing day. So here's the thing. I expected this. Because I think the thing here is, is that we're not the void of the fact that there's a conversation going on all around us, and even here in the so-called white liberal progressive state of Vermont. Was there another response to that previous question, or was there another? Okay. Hi. That was a very intriguing question. My name is Omega Jade. Here's my answer. Tomorrow is the celebration of the fact that August 20th, 1619, if it wasn't for that day, and for 400-plus years, we've been made to feel like an out-of-place entity in a country that we are ancestors built. We're not hiding. This year, we're celebrating our place here. And for me personally, this is an even more personal celebration for me simply because I recently went on my own self-discovery, finding out my genealogy through a DNA test, and found out all the different places in Africa that I am from. And my, technically, my place in where my ancestors were in the transatlantic slave trade. If it, that alone was an eye-opening experience for me, I get to celebrate this knowing the things I learned about myself, my family, and pass that on to my kids. Not only is this a learning situation, this is a way to come fellowship, have a glee, learn about some different cultural cuisines. You may even listen to some music that, you know, it's hip-hop, but will teach you something. I'll do that. I'll be very quick. Roy and I heal in a second. Some of you know that my mother and I affiliated with the faith community with also my wife and I introduced during the 10th year in the state we came in, 29th state that happened during the 10th holiday. When we were going forth to educate them, that is the truth. Not for the scale of the truth, we were not invited for the particular scale of the vote, but the truth. We were confronted, not right on the running down church to be saying, what is this doing to me? Never heard of it. I know everything about Black people, and I don't know anything about Juneteenth. At that time, 28th states lifted up Juneteenth, celebration from the oppression of slavery in the last visit of official knowledge of slavery. I said officially that knowledge regards to remove the tendency where with the passage of the 1954 Supreme Court decision, white people were offended, they were afraid. They didn't want black people to learn to be right, especially in schools that had the equipment that they were making available to wives. So I'm saying that this is literally a lot of white folk who are fearful of the truth. We move beyond that. To liberate, they would be able to all do that thing that we're doweled and empowered to do to make a difference for our children, for our community, and by extension, our country. It's now in the process of trying to be like okay. I think we've gone as far as we can go. We've got a great day planned ahead of us. Now, even as we speak, our production company is dropping the staging down over at Interveil. So for those of you who are still covering this, you might want to go down and take a look at that because you can see things developing out there. During that time, the youth will begin here in the next couple of hours. I know y'all are going to begin and moving at all of that stuff down there and getting set up. So I'm excited about that. For those of you who are still in the neighborhood tonight or might want to come back, of course, Christine had mentioned that this evening there is, again, a youth movie night as we do with the second and fourth Thursday. So what will be happening Friday? What will be happening at the same time is, during the beginning of that, is I had shown, I shared with you earlier, the 1619 project and that the, I believe it's born on the water. Born on the water is the youth version of that. We will be doing that tonight. So if there's some fragility in the house and people are nervous about that, we're happy to explain that to you before you come. But there'll be a showing on Wakanda forever after that. So I think that's going to be the day tomorrow. We'll get up early in the morning. Those of us will be setting up down there. Maybe some of the press might want to come down here and have more conversation with some of the folks. We'll start at 11 a.m. The home base is going to be rocking all day long. The stage is going to be running hot all day long. There's going to be inviting vendors from across the state, black, white, yellow, red, green, purple. Everybody's going to be there setting up and they're going to be tabling, doing all of the stuff. There's going to be food there that will blow your mind. So if you don't know how to behave, then don't come and eat because you will lose your mind with the food that we're going to have with some ethnic cuisine. Again, there is a wellness area that's going to be out there. So if you come, you kind of wound up because this is stressful. Maybe you might want to get a massage or do some yoga or something like that. Maybe get your hair cut. So come on down tomorrow for those who have come out today. I thank you very much and I'm just going to conclude where we are and we're so happy to come out and don't forget, we're not stuck in the fire. We're going through it.