ABOUT THIS PAINTING
This piece, entitled 'Contraband', was dedicated to on June 19, 2021, and donated to the Vashon Island Growers Association to be displayed in the Vashon village green. The image is based on a photograph of so-called 'contraband' - escaped slaves who became fugitives - headed north to await the end of the Civil War. The painting was commemorated in celebration of Juneteenth. It is based on the below image of fugitive slaves in Cumberland, Virginia, 1862.
ABOUT JUNETEENTH
June 19th or “Juneteenth” is a very important day in African American history. Juneteenth, or “Freedom Day” is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. This holiday is considered the “longest running African-American holiday” and has been called “America’s second Independence Day.” It was on June 19, 1865 that Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were free.