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COMMENTARY: How Will You Celebrate Your Birthday?

WASINGTON INFORMER — The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service has appointed the 400 Years of African History Commission and charged it with planning, developing and carrying out programs and activities.

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By Ted Ellis

Every year of our life we get a chance to celebrate a wonderful milestone, our birthday! Birthdays are special days to reflect on our past experiences and accomplishments, while looking toward the future. Looking back over the years, we realize there were challenging moments and circumstances that we had to face, but, we grew, we became better because of those obstacles. We became a bit older and a bit wiser.

Birthdays are impactful and special, something we instinctively want to share with others, with our family and with friends. Everyone gathers together to share stories, memorable stories, stories that shaped who we are, stories of our past that enlighten, invigorate, and even empower. Our birthdays provide an opportunity for us to bond, one to another. Our birthdays come and go, yet with every moment that passes, we never forget our history or our journey.

In 1619, the White Lion ship flying the Dutch flag carried on board 20 or so odd enslaved Africans to the English colonies at Point Comfort, Va., currently known as Fort Monroe National Monument. First known as The Gibraltar of the Chesapeake and later as the “Freedom Fortress,” Fort Monroe has a storied history in the defense of our country and its struggle for freedom. It was a stronghold for the Union Army and a place of freedom for enslaved Africans.

Our landing at Point Comfort marked a long chapter of enslavement of Africans throughout this nation, and it was not until 1865 that the enslaved became free men and women. Each year beginning in 1619 Africans fought for their survival, and most of all fought for their humanity. Our survival through periods of Emancipation, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, and post-Civil Rights continue to prove our resilience in the fight for humanity, justice, and equality. Each year we reflect upon our progress, the lessons learned and triumphs earned.

Our birthdays are special! We celebrate what we have accomplished over a period of 400 years. The inventions that advance our livelihood, the medicines that cure our diseases, and the methodologies that improve our agriculture. We are a people of deep faith with an unshakable trust in God, and as freed Africans we constructed churches, schools, colleges, universities, roads, and cities. We were and continue to be the architects of our communities and we celebrate that. From the bellows of slave ships to working in the fields of cotton, rice, sugar and tobacco, and then becoming literate, advancing ourselves as inventors, teachers, preachers, politicians, nurses, doctors, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, culinary chefs, composers of music, the arts to our excellence in athletics. We celebrate all our accomplishments.

The year 2019 reflects 400 years since those 20 or so enslaved Africans arrived in Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619. It is a year to commemorate and pay homage to our African ancestors for enduring and ensuring an existence for us today. Although there are continued struggles and challenges we will recognize all of our accomplishments and celebrate those achievements on our birthday.

The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service has appointed the 400 Years of African History Commission and charged it with planning, developing and carrying out programs and activities throughout our 50 United States. It is my honor to serve on the Commission and help guide those activities over the next year.

2019 is a very special year, and I will celebrate my personal birthday by honoring my African ancestors. I will commemorate the significance of their sacrifice, and in so doing, I will live a life of hope, purpose and promise focused on forging a better future for all of us. I will recognize those who have helped me in my personal journey and lastly, I will continue to pursue my passion and share that passion with others.

Most importantly, I am asking everyone next year: How will you celebrate your birthday?

Ted Ellis, artist and cultural historian, is commissioner of the 400 Years of African-American History Commission.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 25 – July 1, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 25 – July 1, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

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Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans
Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

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