“WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN TO ME” – Poster Contest by Tomorrow’s Cultivating Youth

by Lisa McFarren-Polgar

In a Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom, Tomorrow’s Celebrating Youth (TCY) organized an afternoon of outdoor games, food and a poster contest with the theme “What Does Freedom Mean to Me.”

The poster contest at Garrison Park brought young people of all ages together to express their creative talent inspired by the national Juneteenth observance celebrating the end of slavery. Displayed on a large table were the colorful and expressive posters, each one telling a unique story of freedom.

The judges were faced with the tough decision of deciding on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners and they finally decided on Myleigh Jones, Demetrius Reeves and McKynzie Deshields, in that order. The cash prizes were provided by the Panamerican- Panafrican Association (the PaPa) in the name of the organization’s founder, the late concert pianist Dr. Robert Starling Pritchard (https://folkways.si.edu/…/class…/music/album/smithsonian), who dedicated his life to the promotion of the arts and who was a great advocate for the establishment of the Juneteenth National Observance. PaPa Executives, Henri and Lisa Polgar were honored to present the prizes to the winners.

Tomorrow’s Celebrating Youth is committed to elevating and inspiring youth by promoting financial literacy, basic life skills, self-care, career readiness and wellness, through mentoring workshops, youth retreats, college tours and tutoring to help young people become successful leaders in the world. Founder and Board Member, Traci Ali, had the vision to create “a village“ for youth to come to and feel safe, where they know their needs would be helped and not frowned upon or turned away.

The young people’s posters were proudly exhibited at the 19th of June Father’s Day Juneteenth Celebration at Merchant Park.