San Quentin residents observed Juneteenth with a skill and strength competition, including music, spoken word, and encouraging speeches.
The first festivities took place on Lower Yard’s basketball court, hosted by Sammie Nichols.
The sporting event consisted of six teams with four people on each team. The first team to complete 50 push-ups, 100 jumping jacks, and one lap around the exercise yard was the winner.
The event was very competitive, but team one, which consisted of Saul Cedille, Kenneth Gatison, Kahraan Nabali, and Johnnie Dirden, were the victors earning Iced Honey Buns and Pepsi Colas.
The next event took place in front of the ARC trailer, a building also located on the Lower Yard where numerous self-help programs take place.
Marcus Wali Henderson hosted the event; he welcomed everybody with greetings in recognition of Freedom Day.
“God created us all to be different; we all want to celebrate each other,” said Henderson.
He introduced resident Ramon Fritz to elaborate on what Juneteenth is. He explained to the audience that June 19, 1865, was the day when the slaves in Galveston, Texas, were the last people to receive the message that slavery had ended.
Fritz referenced Opal Lee, an activist and educator, who advocated for Juneteenth to become a national holiday, which President Joseph Biden signed into law June 21, 2021.
Fritz quoted Lee: “If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.”
The host called upon the house band, “New Syndicate Funk.” The band played four sets of original and old school funk, and the attendees showed much appreciation with dancing and applause.
Next, Henderson called to the stage “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” featuring residents Rhashiyd Zinnammon, Mesro El-Coles, Robert Belfield, and Correctional Officer I. Hunter.
This performance marked the first time a correctional officer teamed up with incarcerated people to celebrate Juneteenth.
“Rome was not built in a day, that’s why we asked for help, all the way from Norway,” Hunter rapped, in reference to Norway’s model of corrections. Her lyrical message sent positive vibes through the crowd as they applauded her.
As rapper Belfield displayed his skills, he expressed love for his mother, saying he wrote these lyrics before her death.
Resident Samuel Jackson came to the stage and gave residents meaningful spoken word. He told attendees that when he says “‘I am hungry,’ you say ‘I can eat.’”
He said, “Low energy, I cannot stand on my feet, I am hungry.” The crowd yelled, “I can eat.” Jackson added, “No visible tears, just mental fears.”
The entertainment kept flowing when Leonard “Funky Lynn” Walker wooed the crowd with his instrumental funk; the young percussionist Tierney “Yoshi” Shellmyer accompanied him.
Steven Warren was up next; he brought consciousness in a poem called “From the Plantation to the Palace.”
He quoted Harriet Tubman by saying “I could have saved thousands, if only they knew they were slaves.”
SQ resident Lamavis Comundoiwilla of the Artwork Initiative, said that the art program is here to protect and promote the present and formerly incarcerated, and at-risk youth.
He displayed his artwork around the stage, honoring black women. “You can tell the greatest of a nation by how it treats its weakest. Black people were verbally disrespected, and black women were considered the lowest of society. However, when we got into trouble we turned to them for help,” Comundoiwilla said.
In observing the artwork, resident Jambri Johnson Sr. said that he saw the beauty of flowers, the strength of precious metals, depicting grace and fine material, and the beauty of black skin.
Attendees adjourned inside the ARC trailer for the conclusion of the celebration. Once inside, Henderson thanked all the attendees. He spoke about “Bridging the Generational Gap,” a conversational series between the young and older offenders at The Q.
Henderson and resident Richard Bhimji collaborated on the idea of bridging a different type of gap.
The host recognized 23 youngsters and elders with a certificate of participation; he showed appreciation for No More Tears sponsors Lonnie Morris and Mick Gardner and SQNews advisor Amanda Weitman for their contributions to this event.
Henderson called up Dejon Joy, who was formerly incarcerated at The Q.
Joy told the crowd that he was at the prison from 2018-22. “I started the program Prevail, which gave Black men a space to come together, taking the barbershop conversation to another level,” said Joy. “I did not have a life sentence; any term over 20 years is a life sentence.”
Darrell Wade, who represents the Black Men’s Wellness program, told the audience that the program focuses on the physical and mental health of Black men.
He said people outside of these walls are not free and that freedom starts here (pointing to his chest) before it starts here (pointing to his head). He added, “You are building communities here. Hold on to that.”
Wade continued, saying, “By celebrating Juneteenth, we are honoring our ancestors and those who are fighting for freedom. Happy Juneteenth!” He concluded with a belly breathing exercise, that echoed well-being.
During the course of the event a few incarcerated residents elaborated on what slavery and Juneteenth meant to them.
In reference to involuntary servitude and the 13th Amendment, resident Bhimji said that [punishment by incarceration] is Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr. last stand.
SQ resident Arthur Jackson said, “It makes me feel like the work isn’t done. Wherever there’s involuntary servitude, there are still the vestiges [remnants] of slavery.”
According to Henderson, being “culturally aware” is worthy; existing in prison contributes to our “unique perspective.”
— Tyrone D. Jones Journalism Guild Writer contributed to this report.
