By: Tené B. La Escritora
Nine Root Generation
IG: @ninerootgeneration
Site: www.nrginc.org
Juneteenth holiday is celebrated in the United States commemorating the emancipation of African-American slaves. African-Americans observed this day for celebrating their culture and freedom as a community that has never been acknowledged nationally. Originating in Galveston, Texas, June 19, 1865, has been preserved as the day of African-American independence.
The colors used to celebrate Juneteenth are Red, Black, and Green. In the 1920s, This idea was created by Marcus Garvey when he asserted all African Diaspora descendants should return to Africa and build their nation within the continent. The Pan African Flag establishes a unified identity of African - Americans' fight and strength during continued plight and adversity. The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), credited with developing the RBG flag, say that the red stripe represents blood, "the blood that unites all people of black ancestry, and [which was] shed for liberation." In the past five years, the holiday has become widely celebrated in almost every state after a continued spike in racial injustice and brutal African American murders throughout the country. In 2021, we witnessed Juneteenth become a federal holiday, allowing for African American employees to preserve and celebrate the holiday fully for the first time. In addition, hundreds of Juneteenth festivals, parties, and food events were organized to commemorate the prominent weekend.
Nine Root Generation, also known as NRG, is a non-profit organization organized by creative director and consultant Weyni Sele-Chambers. This dope community-oriented organization is based out of Greater Atlanta, Georgia. Their purpose is to fertilize a space to plant seeds, nurture growth, and cultivate success within multicultural communities worldwide. NRG aims to provide areas for development in financial literacy, collaborative economics, community service, mental and physical health. The organization put these words into action with their second annual "Juneteenth Block Party," located in Decatur, Georgia. The event occurred from 2 pm to 6 pm, and as a guest, I can genuinely say I enjoyed myself. I love the focus of this gathering, "Food, Fellowship, and Furtherance." A last-minute venue change due to severe rain, but that didn't stop the ambiance or support of the event. When you entered the space, you could feel the artistic energy and screams of black joy. The left wall featured several artists who attended the event and a live painter, Tay Hill, creating a beautiful colorful abstract canvas piece. NRG assured to pour back in their vendors and artists to turn up the black support even more by encouraging guests to buy art. On the right-hand side, guests were greeted and asked to sign and provide an email for further Nine Root Generation updates. Personally designed Juneteenth t-shirts were for sale, and the proceeds would be filtered back into the non-profit's funds account to support future initiatives. Behind the registration, the painting and drawing station was designed for guests to tap into their creative talents. Next to arts and crafts, guests participated in games with friends like Twister, Beer Pong, UNO, and adult-sized Jenga. As mentioned, the theme of the event was fellowship. The organizer and volunteers provided pieces of paper to each guest as a networking exercise. Guests had to go around and find a person who owns a business, someone who you can help, and a few other questions. This was a great activity because it encouraged guests to network with one another within the art community and organically build their networks.
The artistry vibe created was a very innovative way to utilize the space in a short time. Next to the DJ, they set up a couch lounge interior design p with a dark green backdrop and green decorative vines. These aesthetics created a sultry and euphoric ambiance for the performing artists. DJ Wizard Craig, who Weyni Sele Chambers manages, was set up right next to this interior design which tied the whole vibe together. I enjoyed watching the artist line up as I sipped a wine spritzer created by Typical Div, who owns his own coffee business in the Atlanta community.
Artists and speakers that performed were Indigo Phoenix, Jahde, Ebony B, Kris the King, Lorri. Woods. CEO_OG, KMO SHAMAAL, Dali Rock, Speaker Coach Chelsi, and speaker Rashida. Singer Indigo phoenix made a statement with his song that had an alternative house music beat. I could see him opening up for the Afro-Punk Festival during his music career. His outfit was a statement piece and contributed a unique style to the performance lineup. Rapper Jahde had a sixteen-bar fresh flow that kept the crowd engaged from beginning to end. Kris the King came dripped in beautiful African cloth prints designed by Gold Child Prep while performing a motivational poem. Gold Child Prep designs suits, dresses, shorts, alternations, and designs celebrities as well. Another dope aspect of the performance lineup was hearing from the speaker and advocate Rashida.
She is the new freedom school collective founder, which educated black and brown communities on voting rights and power in their vote.
To close out this dope event, the organizer Weyni, provided a powerful speech explaining her vision for her non-profit and what she hopes to curate in the future. She thanked all of the vendors, artists, and volunteers who supported her in bringing this idea to life for a second year. Nine Root Generation is on its way to influencing multicultural communities on a larger scale, and I truly believe the audience will only get larger.
