Black Awareness Association president Sherry Patterson, left, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, spoke at the Juneteenth celebration and fundraiser near Twin Lakes on June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Christina Michelle / Courtesy Photo)

Black Awareness Association president Sherry Patterson, left, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, spoke at the Juneteenth celebration and fundraiser near Twin Lakes on June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Christina Michelle / Courtesy Photo)

Juneteenth celebrated with food and friendship in Juneau

The event was a celebration and a fundraiser for a college scholarship fund

The Black Awareness Association of Juneau held a fundraiser and celebration for Juneteenth on Sunday as they raised money for scholarships for Juneau students.

Juneteenth is an official holiday on June 19 each year that celebrates African American freedom, recognizing the official emancipation of the last enslaved Americans in Texas following the Civil War. It was made an official holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021.

“We’re just celebrating the fact that slavery ended — finally — in the United States of America on this day in 1865,” said Sherry Patterson, president of the BAA, in an interview. “We said we’d be here rain or shine, so here we are.”

[Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman near Cordova]

Members of the BAA sold sweet potato pies to a steady stream of Juneau residents who came out to Twin Lakes despite drizzly weather. State Sen. Jesse Kiehl and Patterson both spoke during the event.

Black Awareness Association president Sherry Patterson, left, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, spoke at the Juneteenth celebration and fundraiser near Twin Lakes on June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Christina Michelle / Courtesy Photo)

Black Awareness Association president Sherry Patterson, left, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, spoke at the Juneteenth celebration and fundraiser near Twin Lakes on June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Christina Michelle / Courtesy Photo)

“It was great. It was wonderful to get to do that and support the Black Awareness Association’s scholarship fund and talk about my colleague — Sen. Gray-Jackson has a bill to get (Juneteenth) recognized as a state holiday,” Kiehl said in a phone interview. “Juneteenth is a two-parter. It’s a celebration of the end of slavery, and it’s a reminder — if people don’t know what their rights are, it doesn’t matter what you put on paper.”

Kiehl said he enjoyed a slice of pie and bubble tea. The pies are a recipe that Breeze In makes, donating their time and resources, Patterson said.

“We knew Juneau would come out. We appreciate the steady stream,” Patterson said. “Juneau supports us. We’re just grateful to be here to celebrate this milestone in our country’s history.”

Funds raised by the rapidly-retailed sweet potato pies went toward the Black Excellence Scholarship Fund, which helps support Black high school graduates from Juneau as they attend college, Patterson said.

Black Awareness Association president Sherry Patterson, left, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, spoke at the Juneteenth celebration and fundraiser near Twin Lakes on June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Christina Michelle / Courtesy Photo)

Black Awareness Association president Sherry Patterson, left, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, spoke at the Juneteenth celebration and fundraiser near Twin Lakes on June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Christina Michelle / Courtesy Photo)

“It’s all about supporting the kids,” Patterson said. “We’ve been doing it for years, but we haven’t really pushed.”

The fundraiser, which also featured food from Blumen Dogs, Coppa and Northern Tea House, was a success, Patterson said on Monday.

“It went well. We felt really good about the turnout in spite of the turnout. I thought we did really well,” Patterson said. “Of course, it would have been better attendance if the weather had been favorable but Juneau knows the weather.”

Patterson said she was gratified by the participation from Juneau residents. The next event the BAA is planning is a jumbo, etouffee and jambalaya cook-up and fundraiser, tentatively scheduled for October, Patterson said.

“I was surprised that as many came as did,” Patterson said. “This is American history — this holiday, we should have recognized it a long time ago. But we’re here now. We’re excited about that. We’re excited that America will learn about our history. It’s an enormous milestone.”

For those interested in donating to the BAA’s Black Excellence Scholarship Fund, contact the BAA at their social media site or juneaubaa@gmail.com, Patterson said.

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.

Breeze In cooked the pies up for purchase for the fundraiser based on a recipe donated to them by the Black Awareness Association. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

Breeze In cooked the pies up for purchase for the fundraiser based on a recipe donated to them by the Black Awareness Association. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire
Sherry Patterson, president of the Black Awareness Association in Juneau, looks out as the group sells sweet potato pies as a fundraiser for a college scholarship fund during a Juneteenth celebration on Sunday, June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire Sherry Patterson, president of the Black Awareness Association in Juneau, looks out as the group sells sweet potato pies as a fundraiser for a college scholarship fund during a Juneteenth celebration on Sunday, June 19, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska.

More in News

The Alaska Board of Fisheries hears public testimony at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 18, 1999. (M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clarion file)
Board of Fisheries again declines to hold Upper Cook Inlet meeting on Kenai Peninsula

The State Board of Fisheries this week rejected calls from the Kenai… Continue reading

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski takes a selfie with Rose Burke at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Burke won the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and will travel to Washington, D.C., in December to light the tree. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Connections student to light U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Rose Burke, 9, won the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and will travel to Washington D.C.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Soldotna man arrested for possession of child sex abuse material

He was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility

A cruise ship is docked in Seward, Alaska on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward gets nearly $46 million for power upgrades at port

The funds are intended to transform Seward’s port into a “green port”

Troopers Joseph Miller Jr. and Jason Woodruff are seen in a screenshot from body camera footage taken in Kenai, Alaska, on May 24, 2024. (Photo provided by Alaska Department of Law)
Grand jury indicts 2 troopers on felony assault charge

The complaint cites both audio and body camera footage

Foliage surrounds the Soldotna Police Department sign on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Escott named new chief of Soldotna Police

Stace Escott has been promoted to chief of the Soldotna Police Department,… Continue reading

Campaign signs fill a wall near Paradisos Restaurant in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Candidates spend big on radio advertising, print mailers in final weeks of campaign

Only a week before the general election on Nov. 5, candidates are… Continue reading

An Alaska Division of Elections Official Election Pamphlet rests on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion newsroom on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
When, where to vote in the 2024 general election

Tuesday is Election Day! Voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough will head… Continue reading

Most Read