Dobbs Ferry Juneteenth Interview with Kerlyne Colin

Excerpt from an interview with Kerlyne Colin, Director of Equity and Special Projects at The Children’s Village, Dobbs Ferry.

Niara: 

We’re hearing from some of the voices of the newest Juneteenth countywide coalition members and I’m here with Kerlyne Colin from Dobbs Ferry today. What was the start of bringing your celebration to life? 

Kerlyne: 

Over two years ago, we decided that we wanted to start to celebrate Juneteenth on our Children’s Village, Dobbs Ferry campus. Our kids here are in a residential treatment facility and live with us here in Dobbs Ferry. We wanted to ensure they received the opportunity to celebrate the beautiful and celebratory holiday that is Juneteenth. Many of them don’t get the same opportunities as others to join festivals, African markets and things like that…to have those immersive experiences. We thought about bringing it [Juneteenth] right here to their campus so they are able to indulge. This year will be our third annual Juneteenth celebration.

Niara:

That’s awesome and it’s what it’s really about, accessibility. It’s not so easy to always travel. So it’s really cool that y’all are bringing it to them.

Kerlyne: 

There’s a school on our campus. We care for them on our campus. Why not have it on our campus? Why must they always travel elsewhere to receive those kinds of experiences? To have those fulfilling opportunities? We believe in providing them with quality services and support within a beautiful environment. Providing a temporary home that makes them feel comfortable and is reflective of what they deserve. That’s why it was really important to us to host it on our campus. People contacted us like “do it at the waterfront.” and I responded like, “No, this is for our kids on this campus and we’re gonna do it right here. They need to know that amazing, beautiful and special things happen here just for them. They don’t always need to travel outside for that.” So that was important to us.

Niara: 

Was there a history of Juneteenth celebrations before y’all started your celebration in Dobbs Ferry?

Kerlyne:

Not that I know of, or got invited to here in Dobbs Ferry. I think everybody got behind the Juneteenth celebration after Black Lives Matter. That reached [the] news and people’s surface—I think before then it was something that no one was aware of. No one had that knowledge base that Juneteenth was freedom day for Black people in America. I don’t think people knew that.

Niara: 

That almost plays into the holiday itself: we weren’t completely aware that we were free and now it’s like, “Wait, so we’re just learning about us learning about us being free. That’s wild.”. So its good that you are all bringing it to them. 

How do the arts play into that? Were there any artists or arts organizations that were part of your celebration?

Kerlyne: 

We’re not tied to any organization that provides us with any type of arts, but we do have our own arts program. They assisted us with doing some of the beading work. We had them make waist beads, bracelets, necklaces, things like that. All of it was African beading. We wanted to make sure that they had symbols on it of inspiration for our young people of color. So they are representing flags from where they may be from. We also had arts and crafts, where they got to express themselves. They got to draw out “what does Juneteenth mean?” or “Black freedom”. What does that look like for them? What does that mean to them? We had young people that did poems. They were able to verbally express their art. Some people created raps and songs. It was a very beautiful experience. We got a chance to showcase our young people’s brilliance and that’s always important to us because every day they have reminders of them being inadequate, not good enough, not worthy. It’s important everyday, but especially on a day like Juneteenth, to ensure they feel empowered and uplifted and heard. It’s always a beautiful occasion when we’re able to showcase their brilliance in their talents.

Niara: 

What’s unique about your program to you? You kind of touched on it already, but how have the students reflected on [the holiday]? Has there been a change that learning about this event made in their lives?

Kerlyne: 

I think what makes our celebration unique is being able to watch our young people go through the journey; coming in not having the information about Juneteenth throughout the year, getting different types of education around civil rights and the emancipation proclamation, being able to kind of collect all of those things together. Then, learning about Juneteenth and learning about what it means, its significance and then watching them celebrate it. I think that journey is so captivating for us as employees to watch. It’s almost like seeing them grow. It’s a beautiful vision and we get a chance to showcase them. We make it like a mini talent show. They get to have some inspiration, to see things beyond these walls. Our plan is to transition our young people back into the community, back home, back to families. We want them to see opportunities beyond here. It’s so important that we have the community come in and do some dancing, singing, poetry, different kinds of things. We want them to peak their interests and to say, “Oh, when I leave, these are the kind of things I wanna do as well”. 

As part of Juneteenth we try to have a speaker. The first year it was more in-house. We wanted to keep it intimate. We wanted to make it just about our kids. The second year we opened it up to allow for the Dobbs Ferry community to take part. We always try to make sure that we have a speaker that’s going to share inspirational words, some words of affirmation to our young people— those things stick with you. It’s not always about what you see or what you hear, it’s about how something makes you feel. I think we try to tackle all the different kinds of sensory points, so that they always leave, feeling amazing…feeling great. And of course, amazing food. We always have to have good food. Feed the soul, right?  It has to make them feel good. We want them to know that it’s special, so we make sure to go above and beyond. It’s a celebratory time. A majority of our kids are, unfortunately, in child welfare and are Black and Brown. This is a Black holiday celebrating Black freedom, Black independence and independence in general, right? Because we know we’re not free, until we all are free. That makes it all the more beautiful for them to be a part of: they get a chance to take that stage and honor our ancestors, be their ancestors’ wildest dreams. I think that’s always what I want them to get from it. I want the kids to think, “I learned about what my ancestors endured and now look at me, prevailing, look at me, living out their dreams!”. 

In the weeks leading up, we try to do little workshops and educational things with them. Last year we partnered with our school on our campus. Now when they come, they’re coming with a purpose. They’re stepping into their purpose as soon as they come into the celebration. That’s so important when talking to our young people—letting them know “This was a long journey for us to get here.” There were policies and laws and acts prior to Juneteenth that should have freed us but didn’t. Looking at the Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln signed into law, and still that didn’t free our people. It’s almost like watching the government blatantly ignore the government. It’s an insult and it kept our people enslaved. How do you have laws and policies at all? How is this possible? Finally, we get to the 13th Amendment and we’re like “No, this got to [do it], it only makes sense. We done did all these other things. We’ve fought the good fight. We’ve done protested. We fought for our freedom. They have to give it to us. They have to.” Yet the news still doesn’t make it to Galveston, Texas until five months later. 

It’s about them knowing the hardship of their ancestors, not just always saying to them , “Your ancestors died for you to be here,” but sharing the journey with them because they need to feel it. I want it to sometimes be an emotional experience. Joyful, but emotional. I need them to know, as much as possible, the journey of their ancestors. I want them to know that they have a duty to indulge in Black joy and Black pride and Black excellence because of the sacrifices of their ancestors. Every day, everything I do with these kids is important. But Juneteenth is very important to me.

Niara: 

That’s amazing and it’s gonna hold longevity. Like you said, it’s not just gonna be one event. “No, y’all gotta remember this and hopefully it’ll impact how you interact with other Black people and experience your Black self. Live your life to the fullest as much as you can, because at a point we didn’t even know that we could.” 

What are your Juneteenth plans for this year? 

Kerlyne:

This year we’re gonna be celebrating the week before Juneteenth. We’re gonna have a celebration here on our campus. It’s gonna be much of the same. We’re gonna have a speaker. Of course, our leadership here will do some speeches too. Speak to the young people. We have a lot of new kids so I want them to receive the same kind of academic knowledge base as those prior. We’re going to make sure that we do the same arts and crafts; painting, drawing and beading with significance, everything with purpose. Being able to have some community performers come do some music, some dancing. We’re definitely trying to do it big. Of course, we are gonna have some really good eats. Can’t do anything without some good eats. I’m thinking about having some Caribbean food and also African food. We’re gonna keep it open to Dobbs Ferry and to the community. But the most important thing to me is that it’s for our kids and that’s where the focus point stays—is with our young people. Last year somebody asked me how many VIPs were going to be in attendance, and I said “The 86 residents that we have here on campus, that’s my VIP(s).”  That is who I’m concerned with impressing. That is who I’m here to serve. That’s my highlight. My focal point is these young people, these kids that we’re supposed to be pouring into. And so always trying to make every experience that I provide for them a very important one. And that they’re treated like very important people. 

Niara: 

And you can see it. It’s a passion. It’s a glow in your face. Seeing the products of your Juneteenth celebration…yeah. It’s time and dedication, and they they need that. 

Kerlyne:

And last year the community volunteered. Last year the Dobbs Ferry Human Rights and Diversity Committee volunteered. They helped us create worksheets that we could send to the school in advance.  They handled booths for us, so they could guide the kids with certain activities and direct them to the right location for things. They did an awesome job. And of course we have all of our wonderful staff here at Children’s Village who always volunteer.  And we have people from different sites across the agency come onto our Dobbs Ferry campus to celebrate with us. Even though it’s held on our campus, it is an agency-wide celebration.

Niara: 

[You’re] networking as well, really connecting everybody. It’s across generations. It’s across organizations, roles, ages—they’re all in there. I love it.

Kerlyne: 

We try. We had the Freedom Riders come last year. They came and spoke to some of our young people. That was amazing, that was historic. Congressman Jamal Bowman talked to some of our kids. He had a rap session in our studios, did some intimate work groups with them, and spoke one on one. It was beautiful seeing our kids light up, seeing them be kids, seeing the innocence, seeing them absorb information. When I get the opportunity to watch them, I’m in amazement of the things that they can do and the way their mind works. Honestly, my biggest thing is seeing the kids showcase all of their talents. So we are already talking to our music and art coordinators to start working with the kids on their pieces. And so they have the opportunity to work on it before their showcase.

Niara: 

All of that is so awesome. And I know that it cannot be easy. There are a lot of different factors. But you are sewing into these seeds—these kids are seeds and you are sewing into them— and they will grow beautifully as long as you continue setting an example. I want to thank you so much for your time today and for the work that you are doing.