Louisville teen summit helps students connect Juneteenth to Black history, culture

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- At Burnett Avenue Baptist Church, the lessons of Juneteenth are coming to life for more than 40 students through a unique summer program.

The three-week Teen Summit, called Digging the Roots of Black Struggles to Successes, gives students in grades 5 through 12 a deeper understanding of Black history, culture and identity — from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement to the present day.

For junior Chasity Cardell, the summit is personal.

“We've been digging up our roots, learning about Black history,” she said. “We learned basically just who we are as people, our culture, our identity.”

Students have participated in field trips to museums, historically Black neighborhoods and local Black-owned radio stations.

“So far, we have visited historical neighborhoods like Chickasaw, Newburg,” Cardell said. “We visited Roots 101, and we've also visited WLOU and WLLV.”

Sydney White, another student in the program, said the experience has opened her eyes to a side of Louisville she hadn’t fully understood.

“It's been a very eye-opening experience, because I learned things that I didn't know about my city," White said.

Students also watched the film "Harriet," about abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and her fight for freedom.

“I know that it happened, but I also know that it's my job as the youth today to prevent it from happening again, and that is by learning about it,” White said.

The summit’s emphasis this year is on the cultural foundation of the Black community and the key role churches played in preserving and uplifting it, according to organizers.

“We wanted to make sure that they are aware of all that has happened here in Jefferson County,” said Deborah Lanier, assistant coordinator of the Teen Summit. “Ex-slaves bought property and sold that property to other African Americans. They know about the West End, but they don't know that we have African American communities all over Jefferson County.”

Lanier said the program includes lessons on redlining, the Jim Crow era, historic Black institutions like Simmons College, and early schools such as the Jefferson Jacobs School in Harrods Creek — the only school for Black primary students in the area during the 1920s.

The students are also developing media and podcasting skills, with hopes of turning their summer experiences into future storytelling projects.

Lanier said students are encouraged to think critically and ask questions about their heritage.

For Cardell, it’s helped her see just how far her ancestors have come — and how far she wants to go.

"I think it's very impactful," Cardell said. "It helps me search for my identity more. It also tells me and shows how far I've come and how far my people have come."

She also said the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is an important step in education and awareness.

Lanier believes that the summit will help shape the next generation of leaders.

The Teen Summit is open to students across Kentuckiana and continues through the end of June.

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