From the Desk of the President

As President of the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions (UCAC) and Chairman of this year’s Juneteenth Celebration, I would like to welcome you to our 15th Annual Juneteenth Celebration and thank you for your ongoing support.

Juneteenth is a labor of love that would not happen without the hard work and dedication of our Board Members, Sponsors, Volunteers, and Vendors. As proof, this is my 13th year as Chairman of our Annual Juneteenth Celebration! To see what it has grown into makes me so proud. There is no limit to what can be accomplished when people work together.

You might ask why it is so important that we continue to celebrate Juneteenth each year. We celebrate because we cannot allow ourselves to forget the ugliness of slavery that America was complicit in supporting for so many years; the institution that allowed one human to own another human.

Our theme this year is Celebrating Women. We want to acknowledge, uplift and support them. We don’t want to ever hear or see another “Me Too” Movement.

Enjoy this family event. Step back into history with a visit to the United States Colored Troops (USCT) Civil War Memorial Monument, visit the exhibits and explore your genealogy in the United States Colored Troops Interpretive Center, and learn about the contributions of African American citizens to the growth and development of St. Mary’s County at the African American Monument at nearby Elmer Brown Freedom Park. Enjoy the entertainment, fellowship, food and shopping with our vendors.

I will end with this quote from Harriet Tubman: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

Mike Brown

Membership

You have an opportunity to be a part of an organization whose mission is to document, increase understanding of and foster African American contributions to the history and development of St. Mary’s County while advocating for improvements in health, education, and community building for all citizens of St. Mary’s County.

What We Do

Research and prepare archives for preservation to identify descendents of African-Americans who have made a significant contribution to St. Mary’s County.

Conduct and record oral history interviews to include; transcribing, and editing audio and/or video tapes; indexing tapes, videos and transcriptions.