African Marketplace celebrates black culture
By Joan Holliday courtesy of the Chester County Daily Local
Celebrating the African American culture, freedom and community was up front and center at the Juneteenth African Marketplace at The Creamery on Birch Street on Saturday, June 22nd from noon to 6pm. Even though the weather temperature was steamy hot, there was a nice showing of visitors throughout the day to appreciate the colorfulness and beauty of what the black culture has to offer.
The parking lot area at the Creamery was lined with vendors selling African American clothing and jewelry. There were booths with items from individual crafts persons; books from local African American authors and organizations supporting the Black community.
The Kennett Underground Railroad had a prominent place ending the history of slavery, so visitors stopped at this booth to learn more about Kennett’s role in providing safety to runaway slaves, before Juneteenth.
The day started with Reverend Sandra Taylor leading a prayer and Bob Norris, Kennett Borough Council President, welcoming everyone.
The first performance was provided by a story-telling group from Coatesville called, “To God Be the Glory” 2GBG LLC. They provided a skit based on the book “June 19th. Cheryl Miles, a Juneteenth Planning Committee member, who recruited this group to set the stage for the day says: “The whole day was a celebration of an American holiday when all people could experience freedom, highlighting the ending of slavery.”
One of the first demonstrations was a group of women from 40 Plus Double Dutch Club who demonstrated “Double Dutch” jump rope. Their mission statement: “We are a unified sisterhood that exists to empower women in mental health and physical fitness, all while inspiring them in friendship, fitness, fun and fellowship.”
Stephanie Carter speaks to the significance of this activity in her article, “Why Double Dutch is the Original #Black Girl Magic Sport.” “Double Dutch is such a prominent part of African American culture because the childhood game was developed within urban cities. Recreations like Double Dutch and basketball thrived because the community could come together and play games that didn’t require much equipment. Children across the country picked up those two ropes and found something more than what was in front of them.”
Attendees enjoyed the food and drink from the food trucks of Sherylz Soul Food and Cheezy Vegan at The Creamery parking lot and sat at tables visiting with each other. It was a reunion for many, who had lived in Kennett Square and Southern Chester County previously and now were living in Delaware and other parts of Chester County.
At 4 pm, the Paco Samb and the Great Gambian Griots Drummers provided a lively native African drumming performance. Four drummers and one percussionist also invited attendees to participate either through dancing to the rhythm or shaking a maraca. It was at this time that local families attended with their young children and joined in the spirit of this cultural event.
Crystal Crampton, member of the Juneteenth Planning Committee said: “Our committee wanted our community to have a good time and enjoy themselves. We had a QR codes for attendees to offer us feedback. Coming together as one community is important to me. I believe that caring and sharing within the community makes us whole.”
The 20 Men Project was an exhibit that was set-up for attendees to view all day. Christine Martey Ochola, a Chester County resident teamed up with the generous volunteer work of Sandrien de Bruijn Photography and the 20 Men Photo Project was born. Christine says, “Often, black men in our community are depicted in a negative light, so we are showcasing positive black men role models from our local community. We’ve all heard the adage, ‘a picture is worth more than a 1000 words.’”
The beat went on throughout the day with The Creamery offering a welcoming place to gather. DJ Tim Dogg had a great choice of music selections that fit the crowd and even took requests. Esther Rochester who attended most of the day said, “It was nice having mixed races enjoying the time together. People came from all around the area, and everyone had a great time!”
The Story of Kennett – Shaping the future one child at a time” Joan Holliday and Bob George’s book on Kennett may be purchased on Amazon and at the Mushroom Cap. You may contact Joan at: dochollisv@aol.com