Hundreds Celebrate Juneteenth, Black Lives Matter In Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — More than 200 people celebrated Juneteenth in Veteran's Park in Norwalk Friday, and also protested against systematic racism and police brutality.

The peaceful demonstration was organized by the local artist collective, The Art of Justice, and it was highlighted by an appearance by Omo Klusum Mohammed, the mother of Mubarak Soulemane, a former Norwalk resident who was shot and killed by Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North in January. Soulemane, who was armed with a knife, had led authorities on a car chase from Norwalk to West Haven where he was fatally shot.

"He was no threat to the trooper," Mohammed said, urging the crowd to support her family's efforts to find justice for Soulemane's death.

Friday's event had the feel of a rally against systematic racism, similar to the dozens of protests and marches throughout the United States in the weeks since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the hands — or knees — of police officers.

"It is time to seek accountability," said the artist who goes by the name Five Fingers, urging non-Black attendees to help end systematic racism. "We have kneeled, we have marched, and now it's time to stand up for justice."

Darius Williams offered similar sentiments. "Change cannot wait, when Black and Brown people are still being pulled over in this country for frivolous things."

This year marks the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, a holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Gen. Gordon Granger informed slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they and all slaves had been freed.

For many in U.S., this year marks the first time they've celebrated Juneteenth, which not only celebrates the freedom achieved by Blacks, but also accomplishments and self-development.

"This is like our Fourth of July," said local music executive Mellodye Ragin, owner of SoNo Entertainment and Recording Studio, who goes by the nickname Sweets.

Ragin spoke of how nervous she is as a mother of a 31-year-old Black son, and how her husband died of what she called medical negligence because of the color of his skin.

"Don't confuse protest with whining," she said, acknowledging that Black Americans have a lot of complaints about life in the U.S. "We're tired of all of this."

Tristan Fields, founder of Higher Education Literacy Professionals, told the crowd that he didn't even learn about Juneteenth until he was college age, which is a problem because it should be taught in school to younger students.

"Hashtags are cool, but they don't make change," he said. "If you have a dream, you have to make it happen."