Juneteenth efforts confront ‘complex history’, generational trauma in KC communities

Celebrating Juneteenth in Prairie Village — a community that historically excluded people of color — is a sign of progress, said Dr. George Williams.

Rapper and entrepreneur Kemet Coleman performs on stage at Juneteenth event at Harmon Park in Prairie Village; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Stand Up For Black Lives+ Prairie Village and the Johnson County NAACP recently organized a weekend Juneteenth event — the groups’ fourth annual commemoration of June 19, 1865, the day the last enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom — in the Johnson County suburb where racially restrictive housing covenants were in place for decades.

“The detriment of that exclusion is generational,” noted Williams, who co-founded Black Lives+ with pastor Denis Solis in 2020 after seeing the support at a rally they organized in Prairie Village in the wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. “Homeownership is part of building generational wealth and so [exclusion and discriminatory practices] really had this horrific impact. And the hearts that go along with it, that makes another damaging impact when people don’t recognize the intrinsic worth of other human beings.”

“There’s still more work to do,” he added. “But I think the significance is that we are trying to turn around a history that was so horrific and are able to see the beauty of people that are being welcoming.”

When Williams moved his family to Prairie Village from California, he didn’t always feel comfortable, he said. But that changed during the community’s first Juneteenth celebration in 2020.

“It was the most welcome I felt in our city to be able to come to that event, to be a part of that event, and to see so many others just be welcoming,” he explained, “and then to see that grow with this ideal of we want to be a welcoming community for many others.”

This year’s event June 15 at Harmon Park — also sponsored by the city of Prairie Village, the Prairie Village Diversity Committee, and Village Church and primarily organized by Destiny Costley — was a celebration of Black culture, Williams noted, with performances by Brass and Boujee, roller skaters with Sk8Shot, and dancers with STEP (Supporting Them Expressing their Passions) Movement, plus Black vendors like Brown Suga Bakes, Bliss Books & Wine, Scented Webb and T.C.’s FullyLoaded, a Juneteenth song written and performed by Williams, and a live painting by Jasmine Ali. It also featured activities for kids and a Juneteenth poster contest.

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Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson poses for a photo with Kaleb High, Johnson County NAACP Youth president, at Harmon Park; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“I think it’s just the importance of learning about other people’s culture,” he said, emphasizing the importance of curiosity. “Our diversity in America is really our strength, and for people to recognize the worth of others — and in that recognition — to really kind of stretch ourselves to explore the differences that we have.”

Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson told Saturday’s Juneteenth crowd that the event was a time for celebration combined with a sense of reflection and hope.

“Prairie Village, like many communities across this nation, has a complex history,” Mikkelson continued. “One that includes moments of great triumph and accomplishment and moments of pain. We cannot ignore the injustices of our past nor should we shy away from the work that lies ahead. Today we confront our history with courage and humility, acknowledging that true healing requires both recognition and action.”