San Diego Unified School District: MEDIA ADVISORY: On The First National Juneteenth Holiday, San Diego Unified Celebrates Historic Actio ...

Poway CA

18 June, 2021

10:50 AM

Description

Press release from San Diego Unified School District: 06/17/2021 MEDIA ADVISORY MEDIA ADVISORY WHAT: One year after the San Diego Unified Board of Education raised the Black Lives Matter flag at the Eugene Brucker Education Center and called on the State of California to recognize Juneteenth, President Joe Biden officially recognized June 19, the day that slavery ended, as a federal holiday. The Board of Education heard from many community members hoping for a second flag raising event, including Rev. Shane Harris, who donated the official Juneteenth flag being used in Friday's ceremony. Rev. Harris, the People's Association of Justice Advocates, San Diego Unified students, district leaders, and allies will come together to raise the official Juneteenth flag for the first time at the Eugene Brucker Education Center. WHEN: Friday, June 18, 2021 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. WHERE: Eugene Brucker Education Center Flag Pole 4100 Normal St., San Diego CA 92103 VISUALS: San Diego Unified community gathered at the flagpole, a brief speaking program, raising of the Juneteenth flag. SPEAKERS: Richard Barrera, Board of Education President, San Diego Unified Shane Harris, President, The People's Association of Justice Advocates Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, Board of Education Vice President, San Diego Unified Dr. Lamont Jackson, Interim Superintendent, San Diego Unified Stacie Dent, Program Manager of Teaching & Learning, San Diego Unified Carleton Overstreet, Chair, San Diego Hip Hop 5K Sharon Apple, Teacher of the Year, San Diego Unified Shaunessy Cardwell, Student, San Diego Unified Maliyah Hicks, Student, San Diego Unified INTERVIEW AVAILABILITY: Makeda Dreaden, Executive Director, The World Beat Center Stephan Abrams, National Chapter Coordinator, Team Enough Abdur Rahim-Hameed, President, National Black Contractors Association Janiece Hameed, National Black Contractors Association BACKGROUND: Under the resolution sponsored by former Board of Education President Dr. John Lee Evans and Trustee Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne in 2020, the district called on educators to, '"teach the importance of Juneteenth and current movements such as 'Black Lives Matter' that advance liberation efforts for the Black community with classroom lessons throughout the year…"' San Diego Unified Juneteenth Resolution Earlier this month, San Diego Unified started raising the Pride and Trans Pride flags daily in celebration of Pride Month. Recognizing the intersection of the Black Lives Matter and LGBTQIA+ movements, all three flags will be raised together. The intersection of Pride and Black Lives Matter is deeply rooted in history. Juneteenth recognizes that on June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and enforced the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years after it was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing the final African-American slaves. Pride Month started in recognition of the Stonewall Riots, which was a movement against police violence, including aggression targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, led by Black Trans women in New York City. MEDIA CONTACTS: Samer Naji, 619-548-3388; [email protected] Jason Verrett, [email protected] This press release was produced by San Diego Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.