In Lapwai, it’s Juneteenth No. 2

LAPWAI — On the nation’s first federally recognized Juneteenth holiday, organizers in Lapwai hosted their second celebration.

Organizer Mikailah Thompson, said the first year she helped organize a Juneteenth event in Lapwai, the world was grappling with the pandemic. Still, she was startled by the strength of the turnout. This year, with the pandemic waning, she said she was able to secure more speakers and performers than before, but Saturday’s event still had a sort of laid-back, cookout feel.

The smell of barbecue filled the air early as attendees slowly filtered in under sunny skies and near-90-degree heat. Lawn games like Connect Four and cornhole were scattered around the event while speakers and performers took turns at the microphone, with a professional DJ playing music during the breaks.

Thompson said movements are about people coming together to make positive change, and Saturday’s event was only possible with the support of the community. She said one of the main functions of the event is to provide awareness about the significance of Juneteenth — a holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. that was first observed in 1865 but was only officially recognized by the federal government this past week.

“Exactly what everyone does on July 4 is what we should be doing on June 19,” Thompson said. “ That’s what we plan on doing today, ... kind of taking over July 4 and reclaiming Juneteenth as the true Independence Day.”

During the celebration in Lapwai — the seat of government for the Nez Perce Tribe, or Nimiipuu, in their tribal language — many spoke of the unique struggle of growing up biracial — both Black and Native American.

Tommy “Tre” Miles-Williams, who helped organize the event, talked about his personal experience growing up Nimiipuu and Black. He described being singled out by his peers for his skin color in school, being told he only excelled at sports because he was Black and needing to have his tribal ID handy to play in Indian basketball tournaments — even though his mother was the coach.

When he got to college, he said, he was repeatedly singled out for both heritages, with one coach cracking a joke about him being involved in drive-by shootings.

“There is a lot of discrimination everywhere we go,” Miles-Williams said.

“As much as I am working hard to share with everyone my experiences, it is not any young child’s job to show how they need to be treated — it’s your guys’s job,” he told the crowd. “If you actually want racism to end, you should give that love and respect and patience for that kid to find their own space.

“For me, if I could look back and I could give any wish in the world to my younger self, I would say I would want to feel accepted.”

Minty LongEarth said these kinds of conversations are crucial for the Nimiipuu people, noting many of their tribal members are both native and African American.

“This res has many, many families who encompass both of those ancestries and it’s important for our children to see themselves in us — if all they see is one side of us, then they don’t see all of us,” LongEarth said. “This is a good way for all of our children to be able to dismantle some of the anti-Blackness and racist tropes that we are taught in mainstream society all the time, and this is a good way for some of our elders to unlearn what we’ve been taught.”

On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law officially recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. While many of those gathered in Lapwai said it was a step in the right direction, they also said there is still a great deal of work to be done before the country can reconcile its history of slavery and race-based oppression.

“I think it’s important that it’s being spotlighted and recognized; I think that’s definitely way overdue,” Thompson said. “But I don’t want it to distract from that there are a lot of issues and a lot of rights that still need to be spoken for — we need our rights and we need to change. It’s a lot more than just establishing a holiday, but it’s a step.”

Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.