AFRO’s fourth annual Juneteenth Breakfast honors local stalwarts of Black history
AFRO News hosted its annual Juneteenth Breakfast to honor individuals and organizations that have accepted the responsibility of preserving Black history and culture, and to promote the message of safeguarding knowledge, strengthening communities and equipping future generations with the context needed to build a more informed future. The post AFRO’s fourth annual Juneteenth Breakfast honors local stalwarts of Black history appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
Black News 
By Andrew Hall and Makayla Walker
AFRO Interns
AFRO News hosted its annual Juneteenth Breakfast June 18 under the theme, “Stewards of Legacy,” at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The museum served as a beautiful backdrop as honorees, community members and company leadership joined together to advance the message of preserving Black history.
Credit: AFRO Photo / Andrew Hall
Led by mistress of ceremonies Deyane Moses, Afro Charities’ director of programs and partnerships, the event opened with tone-setting remarks from AFRO publisher and CEO Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper.
Preserving history, Dr. Draper said, is a grave and sacred charge, but it requires deliberate action.
“It (history) survives because someone chooses to protect it, to preserve it and pass it on. Every generation stands on the shoulders of those who came before. Every generation has a responsibility to leave something meaningful to those who follow,” Draper said. “Today, during this Juneteenth breakfast, we honor individuals and organizations who have accepted that responsibility through their work. They help ensure that our history is not forgotten, our culture is not diminished, and that the lessons, sacrifices and hard-won freedoms that brought us to this moment are never lost.”
On why the stewardship of Black history and culture remains important, Draper’s answer was simple:
“We are not stewards of history because we want to live in the past. We are stewards of history because we know what happens when people forget. Memory protects progress. History teaches vigilance. Legacy gives future generations the tools they need to keep moving forward.”
That message resonated throughout the event and was echoed by keynote speaker Savannah G.M. Wood, executive director of Afro Charities.
Wood emphasized the importance of preserving historical records through collective effort, noting that “no one institution holds the full record, but rather our collections form a constellation that guides researchers towards a fuller understanding of the past.”
Together, these remarks underscored a shared commitment to historical preservation—not as an effort to thoughtlessly document stories, but as a means of safeguarding knowledge, strengthening communities and equipping future generations with the context needed to build a more informed future.
Several honorees were recognized for their lasting contributions to promoting and protecting Black history. The honorees included Asma Naeem, Anita Kassof, Chanel Compton-Johnson, Lisa Mitchell Sennaar, Katie Caljean, Corey Lewis, Esther Armstrong, Jim Clemmer, Terri Freeman, Dr. Joanne Martin and her late husband, Dr. Elmer Martin.
“In the 250th year of this nation, it is more apparent than ever that the history that brought us Juneteenth must never be far from our memory. We know that these institutions are critical to preserving memory because if we don’t have these organizations, trust me, this history will disappear,” said Terri Freeman, president and CEO of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. “My message to each of you today is never forget, call a lie a lie and let’s keep making progress.”
In accordance with this message, Baltimore Museum of Art’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director Asma Naeem said, “When people come into our museum, they should be seeing themselves reflected on the walls, they should be hearing their stories told through those artworks.”
She added, “Black history and Black stories are central to what Baltimore is and to what Maryland is.”
Two powerful musical selections were performed by DeAngelo, an undergraduate student at Towson University. After singing his own rendition of “A Change is Going to Come” by Sam Cooke, DeAngelo explained what performing that song meant to him.
“‘A Change is Going to Come’ is one of my grandma’s favorite songs, so learning that song, talking with her and getting to really understand what it means was special to me,” DeAngelo noted in an interview with the AFRO. “Being able to perform that for her and seeing her reaction in the crowd was really good.”
The event was proudly sponsored by Associated Black Charities, BGE, GBMC, Roland Park Place and SECU.
James Toby Smith, executive vice president and chief relationship officer for SECU Maryland, explained how important it was for him and the company to serve as sponsors.
“To be out here with these awesome Baltimore stalwarts and Maryland stalwarts of education, access and awareness–it makes my heart incredibly proud to be a part of an organization that supports a cause such as this,” Smith said. “I want this community to understand it’s deeply personal for us as an organization to illuminate predatory practices and lead by example within our industry.”
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