Mat-Su Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation hosts Juneteenth celebration in Palmer

PALMER — The Mat-Su Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation hosted its first Juneteenth Celebration in downtown Palmer Monday, June 19.

"I think it's great," Mat-Su Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation Vice President Melvin Sage-El said. "A lot of people don't understand the history behind the holiday so it's educational for them."

Juneteenth is an international commemoration that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.

The Mat-Su Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation's inaugural Juneteenth event was the first of its kind in the Mat-Su Valley. The event featured speaker presentations, mayoral proclamations, live music, vendors, and overall community togetherness.

"It's excellent. It's a cool thing. I like the spirit and the direction of it," Palmer Mayor Steve Carrington said.

Seventeen-year-old Wasilla resident Hadayah Mwamba was one of several participating vendors. He sold books that were written under his pen name Hayden Wright throughout the event. He said this was his first time attending a Juneteenth event and he loved seeing everyone come together.

"I think it is a great time to remember and think about black history," Mwamba said. "I think it's great people are willing to come together to celebrate this."

Tyrone Palmer, Pierre Bidondo, and Davey Jones of the Glacier Hoppers performed throughout the event.

"I was definitely honored to be asked to play for it," Palmer said.

Palmer said there's still a lot of people that don't know about Juneteenth and this new event is a great way to raise awareness. He said that the event was very well put together and he's eager to see it grow over time.

"I think it's going to get bigger and bigger every year," Palmer said. "I think it's important. It's a part of our history and I think more people should know about it."

Visitors were also able to enjoy free snacks and drinks during the Juneteenth Celebration.

"What we get, we want to give it back," Mat-Su Martin Luther King Jr. President Aundra Jackson said.

The Mat-Su Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation has hosted a celebration honoring the iconic civil rights leader during his birthday, Jan. 15 for over two decades. Jackson said their group also spends the year visiting various venues to talk about civil alliance, diversity, and community involvement.

Jackson said this new Juneteenth event will help further their efforts bringing MLK's vision to life one communal connection at a time. He said it felt like they had a great first event and he was happy how everything played out.

"From what I've seen today it has really met our board's expectations," Jackson said. "It's really beautiful people from the Valley are showing up. This is really a celebration for our community as a whole."

Jackson said they plan to keep building this event up each year, featuring additional vendors, artists, and other components. He said that anyone who's interested in participating is encouraged to reach out.

"We're open to things that are related to the theme of what Juneteenth is about," Jackson said. "We'll take what we have here and expand upon it. We just want to have another event that's important to the Valley."

For more information, visit the official Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/1416134688564709/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com