The Prince George’s Community College African American Studies Program hosted a series of conversations, one of which was titled Celebrating While Black: From Juneteenth to Black August. The main speaker was Dr. Karanja Keita Carroll, professor of Black and Latinx culture studies from Baruch College. Dr. Iyelli Ichile, director of the African American Institute, moderated the discussion.
The participants discussed the significance of celebrations for black people and what one has to do during events such as Black August. Dr. Karanja Keita Carroll stressed the importance of raising awareness about political prisoners who are still in jail or were at one point in their life (“Celebrating While Black”). He said that remembering the people who fought for freedom in the past, sharing stories with others, and demanding from the government for political prisoners to be released was necessary for everyone celebrating Juneteenth. Another noteworthy thought mentioned in the discussion was that during Black August, people have to focus on improving themselves and follow Malcolm X’s principles of fasting, studying, training, and fighting. An interesting idea concerning the essence of celebration was also proposed, the participants agreed that celebrating meant staying joyous and happy in the fight against oppression and dehumanization.
This conversation and the whole series hosted by the Program were a good source for discovering new facets of black people’s celebrations. The discussion was an in-depth account of the true meaning behind Black August and Juneteenth and their role as a continuation of the fight for freedom. Personally, I learned a lot of new information, namely, about particular political prisoners who were often incarcerated based on false charges. I also enjoyed the idea proposed by Dr. Karanja Keita Carroll about pop-culture and visual art serving as entry-points to political conversations (“Celebrating While Black”). For example, movies such as Black Panther can be perfect for making people interested in political and social topics related to the cause of African Americans.
Work Cited
“Celebrating While Black: From Juneteenth to Black Augustw/ Dr. Karanja Keita Carroll.”YouTube, uploaded by PGCC TV, 2020.