Building Legacies That Matter!

This year, Clemmons Family Farm's Juneteenth theme is "Building Legacies that Matter." We ask all visitors to the farm, young and old, "What legacy do you want to build and leave for the next generations?" In celebration of African American culture, freedoms and our human connectedness, we engage the community to consider this question through our Juneteenth arts and culture programs on the farm.

Attendees will experience Clemmons family storytelling and musical performances. Attendees will also engage with other Clemmons Family Farm collaborating artists to co-create visual art using their own silhouettes combined with hip hop, poetry, paper, markers, and other art supplies to express the legacies they want to build.

Admission is FREE but advance registration is required through Eventbrite. Maximum of 60 attendees.

Why We Celebrate

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. While Juneteenth became an official federal holiday on June 17, 2021, the state of Vermont officially recognized Juneteenth as a holiday in 2008 thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Shirley Boyd Hill.

Due to rain our June 18 celebration has been rescheduled to:

**SUNDAY JULY 24, 2022: 1:00 - 4:00 P.M.**

1:00 PM: The Legacy of Juneteenth

• Admission begins at 12:30 PM.
• Juneteenth history and community quiz
• Clemmons family storytelling: How Great Grandma Margie Ran Away. Twice.
• Free storytelling bookmarks to take home!

1:30 PM: ARTiculating Our Legacies

• Join multidisciplinary artists SINN and Parker Silver in a hands-on co-creation workshop to make your own legacy silhouettes using hip hop, spoken and written word art, and visual arts!

3:00 PM: Music Legacy

• A wonderful music performance featuring singer Samirah Evans and Band!
• **Note: Please do not explore other venues on the farm. They are closed to the public.

About Our Collaborating Artists

Learn more about three of the artists who will be joining our community to re-celebrate Juneteenth at the Clemmons Farm. All three are members of the Vermont African-American/African Diaspora Artists' Network (VAAADAN).

Edwin Owusu better known by his stage name SINN, is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Debate Coach at the University of Vermont who has been a mainstay in the Burlington music scene since 2001. Speaking truth to power is a mantra that he lives by and encourages all to take up. A Hip-Hop and Afrobreat artist, his music is a piece of the shareable moments from his journey that are disseminated to audiences through meticulous attention to detail. He has performed with many talents including local greats like David Grippo Funk Band & Myra Flynn as well as national acts like Wyclef Jean.

Parker Silver is a multidisciplinary artist who moved to Vermont in 2013. Working with dance, visual art, digital art and traditional mediums, they create works that celebrate the natural world in all stages of life, body positivity and Black Joy, as well as works that explore mental wellness.

Parker grew up with the stories and voices of their Sierra Leonean, Southern, and Jamaican family members and they carry their stories in all they do.

Samirah Evans is known for her dynamic, soulful approach to jazz and blues, among other genres. Her style is also heavily influenced by the New Orleans sound where she was one of the city’s most in-demand singers.

Her 1990 debut at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival began a stint of 15 consecutive years performing there as a lead or featured vocalist, and she was a fixture in both clubs and concert venues throughout the Crescent City, including Snug Harbor, Tipitina’s and the House of Blues. During her career, she has toured North and South America, Europe and Asia, sharing stages with a multitude of New Orleans notables and legendary artists, including James Brown, B.B. King, Dr. John, Levon Helm, Aaron Neville, Charles Neville, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Jr., Irma Thomas, Trombone Shorty and Sheila Jordan.

Hurricane Katrina caused Samirah to relocate to her husband’s hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont. She assembled a band called Samirah Evans and Her Handsome Devils and developed notoriety throughout New England touring upon their 2009 CD release “Hot Club” Live at the Vermont Jazz Center, Evans 3rd release.

Evans dedicates time to perpetuating indigenous American music. In New Orleans, Evans participated in the Blues Schoolhouse sponsored by the House of Blues Foundation and hosted a show for the N.O. Jazz & Heritage Foundation radio station, WWOZ. She is currently an Artist Associate in Jazz Voice at Williams College and offers voice instruction in her home studio.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

YOUR NAME MUST BE ON THE REGISTRATION LIST FOR ADMISSION.

A MAXIMUM OF 60 ATTENDEES WILL BE ALLOWED ENTRY.

BRING YOUR OWN BLANKETS, CHAIRS, BEVERAGES AND SNACKS!

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FAQs

COVID-19 precautions:

1. This is an outdoor activity. You must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Masks are encouraged but optional.

2. If you are ill, not feeling well, have a fever or a cough, please stay home and take care of yourself!

3. Outdoor portalets will be available for registered participants.

4. Maximum participants each day: 60

What Should I Bring?

1. Folding chairs or blankets for the lawn.

2. Bring Your Own Picnic Lunch and beverages if you like.

3. Bring crayons for the kids to color the coloring pages.

4. Sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, hand sanitizer.

5. Insect repellant (for ticks, mosquitos, or other insects you might encounter).

6. A relaxed attitude- this program is very low-key.

7. PLEASE take away what you bring (do not leave trash on the farm!).

Outdoors means insects!

This is an outdoor program on a working farm. Be aware that there may be ticks, mosquitos, ants, bees, and other insects. Please bring some insect spray with you!

Where do I park?

Parking is located on the lawns right at the entrance of 2213 Greenbush Road- you will see "Event Parking" signs indicating the areas where you can park. You will then cross the road and walk over to the Authentica Art Gallery- meet up is on the lawns behind the Authentica Gallery. The Authentica Art Gallery is located directly across the street from the parking, on the west side of the road at 2190 Greenbush Road (Adirondack Mountain side).

Accessibility. Please let us know if you have difficulty walking- we are reserving parking for you right in front of the Authentica Art gallery at 2190 Greenbush Road. Email clemmonsfamilyfarm@gmail.com or call (765) 560-5445 and leave a message.

**Note: Please do not explore other venues on the farm. They are closed to the public.

Is it ok to bring children?

Yes, absolutely! Parents and younger children (12 years and below) should really enjoy this program. If your wee ones get restless, there's plenty of room outside on the lawns for them to run around, and a really great hill for rolling, but they will need to be supervised by an adult.

**Note: Please do not explore other venues on the farm. They are closed to the public.

Do these Juneteenth programs really have FREE admission?

Yes! With the support of Vermont businesses and community members to cover the costs of artist fees, supplies, and other expenses we are offering the Juneteenth celebration programs FREE.

We suggest a minimum donation of $5.00 per person. If you can donate more, please do. If your finances are tight, we understand! Please come and spend some time away from the stress and celebrate with us!

Where can I make a donation?

Please check our webpage here for information on how to donate to the 501c3 nonprofit organization Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. that stewards the historic Clemmons farm. You may also donate to us through Venmo (look for Clemmons Family Farm), or you may become a sponsor of the Juneteenth 2022 program by contributing at bit.ly/CFFJuneteenth2022

Admission policy

Advance registration is required and your name must be on the registration list in order to be admitted. A maximum of 60 attendees will be admitted to enable us to offer quality interactions and a safe, low-key, and family-friendly environment for these programs. Clemmons Family Farm reserves the right to refuse admission or eject, at our sole discretion, any person for any reason, including but not limited to behaving dangerously or inappropriately, or safety and health reasons.

By attending this Event, you agree that visual/audio recordings of the Event, including your voice and likeness, may be used for any purpose on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity, without any compensation to you.

Clemmons Family Farm shall not be resonsible or liable for any loss, damage, cost, or injury that arises from, or in connection with, your attendance at this Event.

**Note: Please do not explore other venues on the farm. They are closed to the public.

Smoking

The Clemmons farm is a smoke-free environment- both indoors and outdoors.

Weapons

The safety and well-being of our visitors, artists, and staff are of the utmost importance. To ensure a safe venue for all, the possession of firearms, fireworks, explosives, incendiary devices, knives, or weapons of any kind is prohibited on the Clemmons farm property and in the farm's facilities, except those carried by law enforcement officers who are on duty. All visitors to the farm, and their belongings, such as bags or purses, are subject to search and enforcement, and anyone found in violation will be asked to secure the weapon inside their vehicle or at home or leave the property immediately. No ticket returns, refunds, or exchanges will be made for people found in violation of the Clemmons Family Farm’s weapons ban.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Please contact us if you have any questions about the event. Email clemmonsfamilyfarm@gmail.com or call (765) 560-5445 and leave a message.

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About the Clemmons Family Farm: Preserve, Empower, Build

Did you know that over the past century, African-Americans have lost 93% of their land assets: from a combined total of 44 million acres in the 1920's to just 3.5 million acres today?

• According to the 2012 United States agriculture census, of the more than 7000 farms in Vermont, only about 17 are African-American-owned or operated.
• The Clemmons farm is among the just 0.4% of all farms in the United States that remain African American owned.

Located in Charlotte near beautiful Lake Champlain, the historic Clemmons farm is ​one of the largest African-American-owned historic farms in Vermont today. The farm includes 6 historic buildings (circa late 1700s-1800s)and 138 acres of prime farmland and forests, ponds and streams abundant with wildlife.

99-year-old Jackson and Lydia Clemmons purchased their beloved historic farm in 1962 for $35,000- an astronomical amount of money for a young African-American couple just starting their careers- under a 30-year mortgage. They have never sold a single acre due to their firm belief in land as an important asset for African-Americans to build equity and legacy.

In 2019, a group of Clemmons family members, friends and advisers co-founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- to preserve and steward the farm under a 20-year lease and to continue the community-building work, farming, and celebration of African-American history, art and culture, that Jack and Lydia led on their farm for nearly 60 years.

Our Building Legacies That Matter Juneteenth 2022 programs are closely tied to our organizational mission to:

PRESERVE the 148-acre Clemmons farm as a Black-owned land and cultural heritage asset and a historic site of national importance.

EMPOWER a growing network of Vermont's Black artists and culture bearers with opportunities for professional development, advocacy, visibility, networking, paid engagements, collective healing, and a safe haven for creativity that helps them to thrive.

BUILD a loving multicultural community around African-American/African diaspora history, arts and culture.

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Thank you for your support!

Clemmons Family Farm's Building Legacies That Matter Juneteenth 2022 program is made possible through kind donations from community members like you and from Vermont businesses who are sponsoring the celebrations.

We are so grateful to the following Vermont businesses who are sponsoring this event (this list is updated daily):

Heritage Sponsors ($1,000+)

• Alchemist Brewery