juneteenth prep, biloxi -- June 4, 2015

While waiting for the teaching session at Tougaloo College's Art Colony, the Rev. Dr. Alice M. Graham of the Back Bay Mission organization invited me to come and speak with a group of novice embroiderers in Biloxi.  These girls and young women were organized by the local NAACP to stitch a banner for their Juneteenth Celebration.  For those who are unfamiliar with it, Juneteenth, aka the Juneteenth Independence Day, is celebrated in many black communities as a yearly commemoration of the abolition of slavery.  It began in the state of Texas in 1865.  That was a couple of years later than abolition in other states.  Its name is a combination of June and 19th, the day on which it is celebrated.  Years ago, I was told that many isolated rural people hadn't heard about it initially and only knew that it was made official in June on one of the "teenth" days.  So they called it Juneteenth.

For Biloxi 's 2015 Juneteenth, the theme was the history of the desegregation of the beaches of Gulfport and Biloxi which had been reserved exclusively for well-off white residents and visitors to the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast.  (They're still beautiful and now we can all enjoy them.  Y'all, come on down!)  The young ladies worked skillfully on the lovely blue banner for weeks.  I was invited on the last day to show my art and encourage them to keep stitching in the future. Here we are at the meeting of the East Biloxi Community Collaborative.  Director Carmelita Scott, my contact Elizabeth Englebretson and the girls offered me a warm welcome.

The big surprise there was seeing Julie Kuklinski (2nd row, far right), founder of Biloxi's Women in Construction program.  Julie and I go back to 2009, my second month in Mississippi.  WinC, as it's called, was designed to train low-income women for careers in the construction trades.  (When I arrived, I had NO local income and needed all the training I could get to help with extensive renovation of my house.  WinC, with its stipend for trainees, helped on both counts.  And I'm game to try anything at least twice.  :)

(Left) Mississippi Ruth finishing sheetrock.
(Right) Building a shed with some of my WinC classmates:  (L to R) Sandra, me, Debra, Birtha and Abbie.  Ms Donna was taking the picture.

Ms Donna and Ms Sue got some of the gang on board to help me with my house too.  I am truly blessed.  Abbie looks shy here but she and Instructor Zandell really put some muscle into it.  By the way Biloxi is not really close to my house so they had to ride a long way to help.  That's love!