Juneteenth gathering held at WOJB

Juneteenth was observed by a diverse group who gathered beside the 36-year-old Tree of Peace outside the WOJB Radio studio at noon June 19 to speak about the significance of the national holiday.

The holiday commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln in 1865, which decreed that all individuals held as slaves within states in rebellion against the Union were free by Executive mandate.

In the local ceremony, tribal elder Dennis White smudged all those who were present, passed tobacco and recited a prayer in Ojibwe. Other speakers included Hazel Jonjak, veteran Tom Manthe, Melody Fleming, Marlene Hogue (deacon at Ascension Episcopal Church of Hayward) and Angie Harrington.

The Tree of Peace at WOJB, a white pine, was planted by Mohawk Nation elder Jake Swamp in June 1988.

“This gathering celebrates human rights for all those whose ancestors had little and those who continue to struggle,” said Manthe.

The planting of the Tree of Peace at WOJB “took place in very volatile times,” Manthe said. “This station became a bridge between people on and off the reservation who knew very little about each other.”

Harrington recited a poem by Baltimore author Jackie Oldham which stated in part “Black lives matter; the Black experience is a human experience.”