Juneteenth Mural Unveiling
Torrington Organizations Collaborate to Celebrate Juneteenth
On Saturday, June 19th 2021, multiple Torrington nonprofit organizations collaborated to celebrate Juneteenth with an unveiling ceremony for the Torrington Civil Rights Mural.
The mural, entitled "A New Dawn", was completed by artist Ben Keller a few days before the event. This mural was part of a larger project called the MLK39: Racial Equity Mural Tour by RiseUP for the Arts. The goal of the project is to install 39 murals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. around the state of CT, one to celebrate each year of his life.
Jacque Williams of Culture 4 a Cause was the MC for the event. C4C's Dan Morrison also worked with Impact Arts to broadcast the event live along with the other 5 cities unveiling murals on the day.
Many organizations collaborated on the mural project including Our Culture is Beautiful, KidsPlay Children's Museum, the NWCT Arts Council, Torrington Downtown Partners, and Mental Health CT. During the event there were also speakers from different organizations supporting the project including the Torrington Historical Society, the Torrington Library Teen Advisory Board, Five Points Gallery, Shante Reynolds, and a closing prayer from Workman Memorial Ame Zion Church.
Ysanne Marshall of the NWCT Arts Council performs "Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke.
Dancers from the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory perform a choreographed dance to "Meditation" by Florence Price.
Angaza Mwando of Our Culture is Beautiful leads a community African drum circle.
Shante Reynolds, who was appointed "Mayor for the Day" by the Torrington Cultural Affairs Commission.
A crowd of over 200 people gather for the event.
