The Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) third annual Juneteenth celebration took place on June 18, 2024 in the Senn Courtyard at the center’s South Frontage Road location in New Haven. The event serves as a special departmental Grand Rounds session honoring the historical significance of Juneteenth each year, while also marking the end of the spring semester.
Following a warm welcome by YCSC Chief Diversity Officer Tara Davila and Chair Linda Mayes, this year’s event began with some important and sobering remarks given by YSM Deputy Dean and Chief Diversity Officer Darin Latimore, who offered ongoing challenges that require our resolve.
The event included Caribbean style vegan food from Ninth Square Market, cupcakes from Edible Couture, and a book sale curated by Delores Williams from Bingham’s Books and Culture. Special guest Kenneth Joseph of St. Luke's Steel Band also returned to the center to perform, following a well-received talk and performance at a February 2024 Grand Rounds session focused on Black History Month.
As part of the center's Juneteenth commitment to give back to the New Haven community, the event also announced a department-wide effort to support the Stetson Branch of the New Haven Public Library as an act of service, through an amazon wish list that was shared at the event and in follow-up internal communications. The wish list items were selected by library personnel to support community services that are important to the youth and families of New Haven.
This year’s celebration also marked a transition for one of the event co-founders, Belinda Oliver, who is retiring from Yale this summer after 30 years in order to focus on her work as a marriage and family therapist at Connecticut Counseling Center in Cheshire.
Established in 2022 by Oliver with her colleagues Krystal Finch, Camille Cooper, Stacey Cannon, and Tara Davila, this event quickly won the hearts of YCSC community members, inviting participants to bring folding chairs to sit and connect with colleagues while listening to music and enjoying culturally influenced foods.
Learn more about the local Black-owned businesses that were represented at this event under related links.