Greathouse: Creating an impactful Juneteenth Celebration

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

America stands at the crossroads of a critical inflection point that inadvertently set the stage for constructive conversation. Civic unrest spawned a series of clashes from the death of George Floyd to the assault on the capital. Each instance amplified the worst in people inciting violence that defied logic.

Today, our nation seems to be holding its collective breath. We appear stalled at the intersection of social injustice and systemic racism. Rather than watching or waiting for another eruption, consider joining forces with a diverse range of stakeholders to creatively opens the lines of communications.

History has set a memorable mandate to begin dialoging. Joliet, which sits at the crossroads of middle America, is the perfect place to host it. On June 16, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Senate Bill designating June 19 a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery under that terminology “Juneteenth National Independence Day.”

Implementing this legislation set the wheels in motion. Now it’s our turn to influence positive action. United we can add to Joliet’s legend as a place where residents rally – across crossing perceived boundaries – to celebrate what’s going right, instead of lamenting what’s wrong.

Together we can process past pain and partake in the process of healing. This, my friends, is why the Herald-News extended a bi-monthly soapbox. The next installment shines a spotlight on the folks who’ve joined forces to begin the task of breathing life into a movement that will last much longer than a moment.

The big picture

Future Juneteenth in Joliet celebrations cast community as a creative canvas. Downtown will be consistently leveraged as a backdrop, exposing an expansive “edutainment” format. Roaming performers on parade act as a moving museum. Each player merges education and entertainment unearthing the oral traditional of storytelling to interactively bring the past into the present. The result both shows and tells, the ways cultural diversity added flavor to mix inside America’s melting pot.

Designing the next decade

The culmination (realized over 10 years) will bring national stakeholders to Joliet to reframe conversations about unconscious bias. We aim to break down a myriad of invisible barriers that currently divide us. We seek to build empathy, which is the starting point to understand the lingering impact of racism. Now is the time to seek common ground, listen without judgment and identify the roots of resistance that make positive change possible.

This opportunity is exciting because downtown Joliet is steeped in history. The Joliet Public Library, for example, was designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who was instrumental in the launch of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Burnham famously uttered the words, “Make no little plans, they have no power to stir men’s blood.”

Burnham’s statement animates Juneteenth in Joliet. Mark my words, over the next 10 years, Joliet will add yet another jewel to its crown. Joliet will be recognized for introducing the concept of “Community ARTivism” by hosting the most inspired and creatively impactful Juneteenth Celebration in America!

• Toni Greathouse is an “Entrepreneurial Evangelist” whose purpose is spelled out in the letters of her first name - serving as a reminder to Take On Neighborhood Interaction & Try Out Novel Ideas.