Let Freedom Ring
Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) was a life-changing moment in Texas. Enslaved people learned of their freedom 30 months after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and implemented (January 1, 1863).
This greatly changed the region’s economic, social, and political climate. The plantation site is important, especially for descendants, as a place to remember their history.
This year, we sought to make Juneteenth reach back into history while also propelling it’s future. We invited descendants of the Levi Jordan Plantation who were ages 16 and under to investigate and share what happened in their families after Juneteenth.
These meaningful works, created by descendants (ages 16 and younger) of the Levi Jordan Plantation Site, honor their ancestors and share a powerful connection to history and community. View these inspiring projects, displayed across various media, including digital and musical expressions.
Meet Stephan Chatham
A Descendant of the Pierce Family
Meet Micah Menchan
The Great-Grandson of Jerimiah Wright
Micah’s great-grandfather, grandmother and brother have made big moves using mathematics. Micah proudly continues this legacy as a coder and robotics participant and student.
He makes the Wright family proud.
In this performance, Stephan helps us to rejoice in his rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing (the Black National Anthem). The Black National Anthem was written and composed by two African American brothers in 1900. James Weldon Johnson wrote the poem in 1900, and his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, composed the musical score.
The piece was adopted as the Black National Anthem in 1919 by the NAACP, and has resounded as a rally cry for African Americans to be steadfast in the pursuit of justice, belonging, and joy in spite of hardships.
Stephan’s delivery of this piece is significant to his history as a descendant of the Levi Jordan Plantation, and his prowess as a musician. Africa has a rich history of diverse musical instruments, including drums, harps (like the kora and ngoni), xylophones, and wind instruments that traversed into North America. The banjo also has deep roots in West African culture.
While the cello is not of African diasporaic roots, Stephan’s ability to connect the world through music is a part of the legacy he is building for himself as a descendant.