Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day) commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of the enslaved on June 19, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, proclaiming that all persons held as slaves were now free. The message of freedom however was not delivered until two years later.

As we celebrate those who were forced to wait on their freedom, we honor one who took his freedom long before the days of the proclamation. To the Spaniards he was known as Juan San Malo, to the French Jean Saint Malo, to all he became a legend in the art of resilience, resistance and revolution. After escaping from a plantation near New Orleans, Juan Malo became the leader of almost fifty Maroon (Africans who escaped enslavement) communities. These extraordinary men and women were said to have controlled the area between Lake Borgne and the Mississippi River for over a decade; evading capture and known to slay any white intruders with ill intent. They set up settlements, used covert tactics to establish networks with other enslaved folks on plantations for food and supplies, traded fish, game, and weapons with free people of color and created covenants with Native Americans.   

This Juneteenth we honor Juan Malo with a virtual celebration featuring a drum circle, spoken word, dance, and messages of resilience, resistance, and revolution from Maroon Queen Cherise Harrison Nelson and Baba Malik Rahim.