THIS WEEKEND. FOR WINSTON-SALEMAYOR PRO TEM DD ADAMS THE HISTORIC DECISION TO MARK JUNE 19TH AS AN OFFICIAL HOLIDAY. IN THE CITY WAS SEWN INTO THE CORE OFER BEING BY HER GREAT-GRANDMOTHER AND ENSLAVED WOMAN WHO LIVED TO BE 115 YEARS OLD AND MANAGED TO SHARE THIS WITH ADAMS ABOUT THE DAY. SHE LEARNED OF HER FREEDOM. SHE WAS 17. I THINK TYHE SAID AND SHE SAID WHEN THE SLAVES WERE FREED IN, SOUTH CAROLINA .SHE TALKED ABOUT HOW THEY RAN OUT OF THE FIELDS. SHE TALDKE ABOUT HOW THEY RAN DOWN THE DIRT ROADS THE WHITE SAND IN THE PINE TREES. CRYING SHOUTING CONTROLLABLY THE FACT THAT THATAS WOLD TO ME A NINE YEARS OLD, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE R AESPONSIBILITY. TO BE A CHANGE OF AGENT. FOR MY ANCESTORS AND THAT SHE LEFT ME WITH THAT AD THAT SHE NINE-YEAR-OLD LITTLE GIRL IN THE SECOND GRADE NOT KNOWING. THAT I WOULD BEIT SNG HERE TODAY IN THE ROLE THAT I AM NOW IS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL OF WINSTON-SALEM; SOLDIERING A JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY. IN THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEMIZE HER FREEDOM AND OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICAN SLAVES AT THEIR TIME. ADAM SAYS SHE KNEW IN ORDER TO GET THE VOTES TO OFFICIALLY DECLARE JUNE 19TH AS A HOLIDAY WINSTON-SALEM’S PASSED WOULD HAVE TO RESURFACE I HAD TO CONVINCE SOME BUT I KNEW MOST WOULD GO WITH ME ONCE THEY HEAR THE STORY OF THE WHY AND WHAT WINSTON-SALEM HAD DONE WITH THE RED LINING AND THE URBANIZATIONP IN HIGHWAYS BECAUSE THEY SAID IT WOULD DRIVE BUSINESS AND JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHAT IT DID WASESTROY D AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN WINSTON-SALEM AND DESTROYED THOUSANDS OF HOMES THAT WERE NEVER REBUILT EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE PROMISED WE BUILT HIGHWAY TO THE SEPARATED THE CITY FROM THE EAST FROM THE WEST ALL OF THAT. CREATEDHE T RACIAL TENSION AND MISUNDERSTANDING OF OUR CITY. LOT OF THAT CREATED THE POVERTY AND THE BLIGHT A LOTF O THAT CREATED THE SEGREGATION AND RESEGREGATION OF OUR SCHOOLS. ALL OF IT IT RESONATED AND WAS APPROVED. IT’S WONDERFUL THAT WE CAN CELEBRATE IT HERE IN BAILEY PARK IN AN INNOVATION QUARTER BECAUSE IF YOU KNOW THE HISTORY OF THIS LOCATION WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, THE'ERS A LOT OF HISTORY ROOTED HERE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THISAS W THE BLACK COMMUNITY IN WINSTON-SALEM AND I MAKE SURE AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY EVER FORGETSHA TT I THINK CELEBRATING JUNE TEAM HERE. IT’S VERY SIGNIFICANT THE GLOBAL AUDIT OF THE WORLD IN 2020 FOCUSED IN ON A BLURRED VISION OF JUSTICE AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT THE TRIAD CULTURAL ARTS JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION ORGANIZERS SAY CANNOT GO UNNOTICED. 2020 HAPNED THE WAY IT DID WE CAN’T IGNORE THAT. IT HAPPENED. INTOINK IT HAD A HUGE INFLUENCE HERE WE ARE NOT JUST AS A CITY, BUT AS A NATION, I THINK IF YOU LOOKRO AUND THE COUNTRY YOU RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYWHERE JUNE 10TH IS BEING RECOGNIZED IN A WAY THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN IT BEFORE AND FOR ME. IT’S A REALLY PROUD MOMENT. THIS YEAR IS JUNETEEN CELEBRATION IS SO A TIME FOR PEOPLE OF OERTH BACKGROUNDS TO GET INVOLVED WITH EDUC. STATION HEALTH EQUITY AND MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO SEE THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET IT IN ONE OR TWO DAYS, BUT MAYBE IT’LL OPEN YOUR EYES TO WANT TO GO READ ABOUT US. MAYBE IT’LL OPEN YOUR EYESHA TT YOU WILL BE MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT. YOURNC ILUSIVENESS MAYBE YOU’LL BE MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT APPROACHING US AND ASKING US OR BEING ABLE TO SAY I DON’T UNDERSTAND AFRICAN. AMERICAN HISTORY, I DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE. IT’LL OPEN A WINDOW OR DOOR. SO THAT YOU NOW HEAV AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS. AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BNEE A PART OF EVERYBODY’S CELEBRATIONS AND HOLIDAYS. WE DIDN’T NECESSARILY ALL THE TIME WANT TO BE. BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEEDED TO BE. BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND. OTHER RACES AND CULTURES BECAUSE WE WERE FORCED TO SURVIVE IN IT. WE’RE NOT FORCING ANYBODY TO SURVIVE IN OUR CULTURE. WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE AND OPENING TO PEOPLE TO COME AND BE A PART OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR HERITAGE. IF ONLY ALL YOU CAN DO IS STAND AND WATCH. ONLY ALL YOU CAN DO IS GO TO A BASKET WEAVER. ONLY ALLOU Y CAN DO IS WATCH OUT CHILDREN PLAY AND SING AND DANCE. IF ALL YOU CAN DO IS WATCH OUR ANCESTORS PRESENTLY. IN THEIR GLORY AND THEIR WISDOM IN THEIR SPEAK YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING. YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH SOMETHING, BUT LET ME TELL YOU. THIS IS MY GRANDMOTHER. MY GREAT-GRANDMA WOULD SAY LET ME TELL YOU THIS. THIS WORLDS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER. UNLESS WE ALL GET BETTER TOGETHER. AND THAT MEANS BEING AROUND EACH OTHER. AND AND TRY TO DIMINISH THEPBIAS PREJUDICES. HAEDTR AND JUST OPEN UP OUR HEARTS AND OPEN UP OUR MINDS. BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE HAVE TO TREAT EVERYBODY DIFFERENT. IN ADDITION TO THE FESTIVITIES TOMORROW FROM2 1 TO 7 PM AT WINSTON-SALEM’S BAILEY PARK. WE DO KNOW THAT GREENSBORO AND OTHER SURROUNDINGS CITIES ARE ALSO HOSTING EVENTS IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLYE W HAVE A F