Tampa, FL – Twenty Tampa student and community activists gathered for a barbecue on June 19 to celebrate Juneteenth. Hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), attendees discussed topics such as African American history, the Black Lives Matter movement, socialism and African American liberation in the Black Belt South.

Juneteenth is a celebration held every year, particularly in the U.S. South, celebrating the beginning of the abolition of slavery in Texas. Juneteenth is also a celebration for reflecting on the history of national oppression that continues to be visited on African Americans. The civil rights movement used Juneteenth celebrations in order to help build the struggle.

Speakers included Chris Wilson from Black Lives Matter and Chrisley Carpio of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Carpio gave a speech on the ways national oppression continues to affect African Americans, saying, “We cannot let our African American brothers and sisters die at the hands of police or in prisons making products for billion dollar corporations. We must learn the lessons of history, and crush the legacy of slavery once and for all.”

Sarah Owusu-Tweneboah of Students for a Democratic Society said, “I feel as a Black woman in America, my ancestors were slaves that I should celebrate and remember a day that was so important in their lives, and by extension my own. This is my history. I wish they taught us more in school but I guess it’s up to us to teach each other just like the slaves did.”

Activists renewed their commitment to the fight against national oppression of African Americans, and the ongoing fight against police brutality in particular.

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