By Kinsey Gade

Do Good Roseville hosted its annual Juneteenth Roseville event at Central Park June 13.

The cold, damp weather didn’t keep the community from celebrating, according to Etienne Djevi, a board member at Do Good Roseville. Hundreds of people attended the event, which featured live entertainment, vendors, complimentary food and a welcoming speech by Mayor Dan Roe.

Djevi said he found the mayor’s speech, which focused on unity, fitting for the event.

“The welcoming speech brought more attention to unity in the community and humanity among people, even if we don’t agree on everything, we should respect each other’s humanity,” Djevi said.

WHOLE MVMNT, a company that provides resources and support to new artists navigating the music industry, supplied seven of its network artists as entertainment.

Modoh Wanda, administrative assistant at WHOLE MVMNT and CEO of African Fashion Week Minnesota, said Juneteenth is a day of empowerment for her.

“The pain comes from always being underestimated,” Wanda said. “As an entrepreneur myself, if it’s not my age that gets me looked down upon, it’s my color second, then as a female. It’s like three strikes and you’re out.”

Wanda has an extensive background in the fashion and modeling industries. She signed with Arquette Models in Minneapolis as a hair model at 14 years old. She later developed and now runs Modoh Fashion LLC, and was crowned 2023 Miss Minnesota Supermodel.

Jasmine King, owner of Lily Low Skincare and a first-time vendor at the event, said that growing up, she was unaware of Juneteenth and much of Black history, which inspired her to pursue a degree in ethnic studies.

“I did not learn a lot until I paid for it myself in college,” King said. “It became a bit more important to me as I got older — where I came from — regardless of whether or not my family talked about our history, because a lot of Black families don’t.”

King, who started her skincare business in October, has used markets and events such as Juneteenth Roseville to promote her brand. She said she hopes one day to hire people who face barriers to employment, including people of color and older adults.

Rashawnda Scott, owner of Pieces of Kandakes and a second-time vendor at the event, uses her jewelry brand to empower women. One of her initiatives is a magazine, Kandake Korner, where she features female models who struggle with self-esteem or are going through difficult times.

According to Djevi, by the end of the event, they had run out of the food they had prepared for 600 people, which he said was a good sign. Djevi said seeing the racially diverse community come together was valuable.

“Juneteenth could be viewed as a Black holiday, but it is, after all, an American holiday,” Djevi said. “If we are trying to build a community where everyone feels welcome and like they have something to contribute, then we won’t live in silos.”