Joliet museum hosts Juneteenth event

Who was the first Black woman in the U.S. to become a millionaire?

That question was posed Monday during a Black History Bingo game for kindergarten through grade 12 students at the second annual “Juneteenth in Joliet” celebration at the Joliet Area Historical Museum in Joliet.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant popped in to visit with the 16 students attending Valley View School District 365U schools.

Alissa Labroscian, a fifth grade teacher at Pioneer Elementary School in Bolingbrook, said the students were “getting excited when they know the answer and are really excited to learn more.”

Event attendee Ralph Cox of Joliet wanted to learn more, too – and not just because his friend Michael Ellison was a panelist. Ellison is the associate dean for admissions at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago.

“I was interested to come and see the program and see what they have to say,” Cox said.

‘Are we comfortable enough to talk about the racial divide?’

As part of Monday’s program, panelists discussed the evolution of race relations, adapting to change, bridging economic gaps, strengthening the community’s foundation to better support diversity, equity and inclusion, how to build trust and understanding, and ways to positively affect the future.

Donald Basilio, who is retired Secret Service as assistant special agent in charge of recruitment, said relations between police and people of color are complicated, adding that the death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement opened a Pandora’s Box.

“It peeled back the many layers of a raw onion that’s now left jammed in our throat,” Basilio said. “Tell me now: Are we comfortable enough to talk about the racial divide?”

People in power, the media, government, business: we all have to open up, give access, give a voice, give opportunities. Without that, nothing changes.”

—  Dennis Anderson, vice president of news operations for Shaw Media and editor of the Northwest Herald

Basilio said society is now at a crossroads hoping someone will ease the tension. For race relations to improve, white Americans need to recognize systemic racism and Black American needs to realize actions are not always motivated by racism.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to heal our communities,” Basilio said.

James Mitchem, former superintendent at Valley View School District 365U, shared the history of the public school system, from the one-room schoolhouse to the factory model that segregated students by age and perceived learning abilities. He said that Black and brown children were “expected to adapt to a system built for white children or fail.”

Mitchem recalled the early days of his own career in education as a dean of students and his decision to earn his Master of Education degree in educational leadership, which “achieved my goal of getting into the system to change the system.” He said schools’ commitment must match their rhetoric, that students need people who will listen to them.

“We must do whatever it takes to reach each child, to make each child feel like somebody,” Mitchem said.

Ellison said poverty also influences how people move forward in life such as when people can’t support their families on $15 an hour and kids can’t consider their future without proper food and clothing.

“It is so hard to have hope when you have so much hopelessness in your life,” Ellison said.

However, Ellison also said the Black community needs to do a better job with sharing our history with our kids. For instance, Ellison never learned about Juneteenth in school, he said.

Changing systems, changing hearts

Dennis Anderson, vice president of news operations for Shaw Media and editor of the Northwest Herald, said he learned much about Juneteenth from Toni Greathouse’s editorials in the Herald-News and looked forward to learning more.

However, Anderson feels education is just the first step.

“People in power, the media, government, business: we all have to open up, give access, give a voice, give opportunities,” Anderson said. “Without that, nothing changes.”

Valley View School District 365U Superintendent Rachel Kinder stressed the need for shared accountability in the community by “elevating the voice that had not had that microphone and not giving up.

“We’re changing systems,” Kinder said. “But we are also changing hearts.”

Sherri Hale, associate judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, said one way to create change is to vote. Hale said that if people fully understood the power of their vote, they would participate in every election.

“Juneteenth in Joliet” also supported Black-owned businesses, both by sharing success stories during a panel discussion and hosting a popup as part of the event.

Gianna Gant was selling products for mother, Sherry Kimble, owner of Gigi’s Sweet Treats. Gant’s favorite – chocolate gummy bears – wasn’t available that day, so she recommended the chocolate-covered pretzels.

The most popular items?

“Chocolate-covered raisins,” Gant said.

Brittany Grant was helping her mother Lisa Marsh by selling Ms. P.’s Gluten Free granola, a business Marsh began in 2015. The business is named for Gant’s grandmother, who died the same year Marsh learned she had celiac disease.

“It’s gluten-free, no added processed sugars,” Grant said, adding that March created all the granola recipes.

Grant had free samples available. Her favorite was the original – berry nutty.

“I’m a nut person,” Grant said. “I like the bigger nuts, the almonds and cashews.”

‘How can I make history and give back?’

Beshanda Owusu and Valante Grant, owner of the Bolingbrook-based owner of ByDesign network, share why they volunteered at “Juneteenth in Joliet.”

Owusu, who also moderated a panel at last year’s event, wanted to spread the word about Juneteenth to the community. Grant felt helping with the event was a good way to make a positive effect and share information about Joliet’s history.

As a Black business owner, Grant also said she wanted to learn how can to make history and give back.

“Juneteenth in Joliet” event producer and ARTivist Toni Greathouse said that the goal of “Juneteenth in Joliet” was to spread living history all over downtown Joliet.

Museum CEO Greg Peerbolte agreed, adding that culture is not just something cool to see behind glass but living history worthy of celebration.

Greathouse said the event was not for eating and partying.

“We are here because we are carving out space to find common ground,” Greathouse said.

The Rev. Rosalind Henderson, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Evanston, summarized the goal of the event during her opening prayer: “That we might walk arm-in-arm with justice for all.”

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Brooklyn Bunette, 11-years old, get her character done by a local artist at the Juneteenth event hosted by the Joliet Area Historical Museum on Monday, June 19, 2023 in Joliet. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)