Celebration honors heroes of our past and awards young writers and artists

New to this year’s Juneteenth Celebration, Oakland County’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion invited students to enter an essay and art competition based on the theme: What does Freedom and Equality mean to me?  

Remele Penick, chair of the Black Excellence and Empowerment employee resource group, and Linnie Taylor, Oakland County Commissioner (District 18), presented medals and gift cards to the winners: 

• Grades K-3: Derek Flores – Blanche Sims Elementary School in Lake Orion (Art) 

• Grades 4-7: Sangamitra Sivachandran Narmadha – Martell Elementary School in Troy (Art) 

• Grades 8-12: Zuri Earth – Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Oakland County resident (Art) 

• Post-Secondary Vocational: Taylor A. Buens – Jardon Vocational School in Ferndale (Art) 

• Grades K-3: Shiv Lohia – Brookfield Academy in Troy (Essay) 

• Grades 4-7: Kairav Joshi – West Bloomfield Middle School (Essay) 

• Grades 8-12: Ella Bunao – Athens High School in Troy (Essay) 

Click here to read essay highlights.

Oakland County Executive David Coulter spoke about the importance of learning Juneteenth’s history and continuing the tradition for future generations. 

“We have a lot of hope for the younger generations. We expect you to go down the path of righteousness for all,” Coulter said. “America is an ideal, we’re not there yet, but the star we follow in Oakland County, like the one on the Juneteenth flag, is equality.” 

Brenda Carter, Michigan State representative, spoke about trailblazers in Michigan and Oakland County, including William Webb Ferguson, who was the first Black American elected to the Michigan Legislature and the first Black student to attend Detroit public schools. His legal case, Ferguson v. Gies, became Michigan’s first civil rights public accommodation victory, outlawing segregation. 

Harry Weaver III, chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion officer, gave a brief history of Juneteenth and introduced the raising of the flag. 

Entertainment included music from the Pontiac Children’s Choir and the Glenn W. Levey Middle School Marching Band from Southfield Public Schools as well as activities courtesy of Oakland County Parks. 

Attendees visited meet and greet tables from various Oakland County departments and vendors and visited food trucks from Backdraft BBQ, Flavors of Jamaica, Foodies, Fork in Nigeria, Po Sam’s, Seoul Rolls To Go and Shredderz. 

To learn more about Oakland County’s efforts to make our region more inclusive, visit the official website for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: oakgov.com/equity. 

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