MIDDLETOWN>>> With the 10th anniversary of the Valley Fire looming this September, Lisa Kaplan, executive director of the Middletown Art Center, welcomed a packed house to the annual Juneteenth anniversary commemoration at the primary home of the arts in South Lake County on Thursday where the theme of the evening was the refrain “Wake up” with multiple speakers on a panel of community leaders and engaged residents speaking passionately about their lived experiences, while repeatedly challenging the audience to reveal what Juneteenth meant to them.
The conversation in the MAC gallery was moderated by Randall Cole, who serves as a substance abuse counselor, member of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, and author of “Felonies Before Birth.” Cole earned a Drug and Alcohol Counseling Certificate at the Lake County Campus and gave a heartful account of his transition from his troubled past as a drug dealer in Oakland to someone who now works to prevent people from abusing drugs.
“We’re on the battlefield, if you think you are free, think again,” said Cole, a resident of Lake County for 29 years. “A lot of people don’t know what freedom is,” he said. “I have been fighting discrimination on this Earth for 71 years. If you think you are free, reflect on the White House, we’re not free.”
Cole said he was fighting 53 years to life in Lake County jail and now as a member of the Juvenile Judge Committee, he works with probation officers advocating to create unity and a hub for the community. “We’ve got to stick together. Lace up your boots and continue fighting.” He invited members of the audience, which included all races and ages and Vietnam vets, to take the microphone and reflect about their personal meaning about the day.
The historical significance of June 19, 1865 has been celebrated by Black Americans for generations but has become more widely celebrated beyond the recognition of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation after becoming a federal holiday in 2021.
Clovice Lewis, Unitarian Universalist minister, social activist and former pastor at Middletown Community United Methodist Church, who Kaplan called “instrumental” to the first Juneteenth Celebration at MAC in 2020, returned to offer poignant and powerful remarks before providing a musical coda with fellow musician Victor Hall.
Among his many lifetime accomplishments, Lewis enumerated integrating an orchestra, helping to demonstrate to engineers he hired how to use software he created, and spoke about being challenged by ground crews after landing an aircraft he successfully piloted at Lincoln Regional Airport because of his race. “Many times, I have been called a (N-word). Forms of oppression often intersect,” he said adding that many experience different forms of oppression simultaneously.
Lewis said the Right Wing has turned the term “woke” into something sinister he must not utter. “I confess to being woke,” he said, adding that he continues to insist DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) has not been declared illegal by any court. He said the term was not around during the Civil Rights movement in 1964 but is now being used as a weapon. “It’s cynically and cruelly being used by the current administration, but why are people protesting in the streets? People are protesting because they are now woke,” he said while also relating to the plight of LGBTQ+ people, the disabled and African Americans.
“We can lead our nation into a true golden age with love, acceptance and grace,” he said. “My message to you is simple and brutal: ‘Wake up!'”
Another speaker, Voris Brumfeld, 77, originally from San Antonio Texas, said while growing up in that state she grew up with people who all supported each other. “Life is about not only respecting yourself, but respecting everyone,” she said. “What Juneteenth means to me is we want to respect one another, but also mobilize people to get the changes that need to be done.” Brumfeld said that includes voting and mobilizing others to get out and vote.
Aqeela Markwoski, appointed last year as president of the Retired Public Employee Association’s Lake County chapter, Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee and co-host of “Women’s Voices” airing on KPFZ radio, is also a doctoral candidate online student.
She spoke for nearly a half hour about what the celebration and day meant to her in 2025 “Juneteenth to me is a reminder of the gifts we are presented every day when we wake up on this life, when we can still think, we can still act, we can still do things, some of us still have good health, we can still research, we can do all of those things. But Juneteenth to me is also a reminder of our right to pursue happiness. Juneteenth also means to me that we should not forget the involuntary servitude of our people.”
Markowski went on to speak about African Americans throughout history whose efforts have contributed to the fabric of our country, including American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and a lot more people who did some awesome things even though they were enslaved, “some of them were able to gain their freedom,” she said.
Markowski, also a board member of the Lake County Office of Education Trustee Area 1, said the current administration is trying to erase history. “They act like it’s a stain on our history that we were forced into slavery. We did not cause the stain and we are not going to allow them to erase our history, the hell with that crap.”
Congressman Mike Thompson, through a prepared statement read at the event noted, “Juneteenth is about more than just history; it’s about the unfinished work of justice. It’s a charge to each of us: To confront the inequalities that still exist today, to root out discrimination, and to recommit ourselves to building a more just and equal future for every American, no matter their race or zip code.”
“I am proud to have voted for the legislation that established Juneteenth as a National Holiday. In recognizing the significance of this day, we send a clear message to future generations: We promise to remember the past and to never stop pushing for progress.”
Other speakers included Lynette LeFleche, Markowski’s co-host on KPFZ, Lakeport ophthalmologist Alan Sampson, and community leader and former director of the Alpine Senior Center in Lucerne, Dolores Farrell, who visually demonstrated what the day means to her with a memorable “melting pot” analogy where she explained the mixed beauty of American diversity and culture. The Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 Highway 175 in Middletown. For more info and a calendar of events visit Middletownartcenter.org.
