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Program Notes
Notes for an Emancipation Poem was written by Drisana Deborah Jack as a
memento mori or "reminder of death" to commemorate the souls for
enslaved Africans who died in the Middle Passage. Jack comes from Saint
Maartin in the Dutch Caribbean, and the story that she relates is
equally relevant for all of us whose forebears survived the crossing
from Africa to the Americas. The reading of an excerpt from her poem
has been framed by drumming because drums so powerfully summon the
presence of our ancestors connecting us across oceans and centuries.
Frederick Douglass' famous 4th of July speech was given at Corinthian
Hall in Rochester, New York, on July 5,1852, where he lived. ft is
powerful in its biting assessment of the failure of our nation to live
up to its promise of liberty for all of its citizens nearly a century
after our Revolutionary War. Some historians have judged it to be his
most memorable address.
By the Work of Their Hands is a reenactment that focuses on the role of
women in Boston during the Civil War. It is based on research conducted
by L'Merchie Frazier at nearby Camp Meigs and other sites and archives.
Frazier is Director of Education at the Museum of African American
History, as well as a noted visual and performance artist.
Photos

Jumaada Abdal-Khallaq H. Smith |

The Juneteenth Committee of Boston
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L'Merchie Frazier
Artist, educator and performer
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Imam Abdullah Faaruuq
Mosque for Praising Allah
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Emmet Bell-Sykes
54th MA National Guard Volunteers
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Ralph F. Browne, Jr., Chairman
MA. Juneteenth Committee |

Margaret Burnham
Professor of Law, Northeastern University,
Founder of the Restorative Justice Project
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Vivian Cooley-Collier, Singer
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Tayo Stuppard
7th grade student,
Boston Latin Academy
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Hon. Milton Wright
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Rep Gloria Fox |
 Dijon Harris
Singer
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Reverend Ellis I. Washington
Pastor, Grant A.M.E. Church
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