Augusta has its share of festivities scheduled for Juneteenth weekend, including events at the Augusta Museum of History, and the seventh annual Juneteenth Augusta presented by the Band of Brothers.
SheaButter Empowerment will be hosting its Juneteenth 2k23 Celebration at Dyess Park on Saturday, a family affair that’s the latest endeavor of the growing enterprise.
“Our goal right now is bringing the community to the community, which means we’re going into the neighborhood where most people are afraid to go,” said Martika Jackson, who founded SheaButter Empowerment over two years ago as a means to encourage and educate her children in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
SheaButter Empowerment began as a business under which two brands, Dear Black Kingz and Black Girl Sprinkles, owned and managed by Jackson’s son San’Maurii and daughter Ti’ana, sell Afrocentric apparel, toys, and grooming products.
Drawing on its original mission of youth outreach, SheaButter expanded early on into field of event organizing. In January, Jackson partnered with Paine College to coordinate Hello 2023, a benefit to raise money for school supplies; the following month, hosted the Black History Month Event at Pendleton King Park (SheaButter Empowerment’s second annual); and Saturday, Jackson and her young businessowners could be found at their resource booth at the East Augusta Community Block Party.
“God wants me go into the areas that do not have a lot of resources, those who don’t have transportation, and be able to provide that positive atmosphere and space for them,” said Jackson about moving her events from Pendleton King to Dyess Park.
Saturday’s Juneteenth festival, free and open to the public, will feature presentations by motivational speakers and spoken-word artists, and performances by gospel, hip-hop and reggae artists and line dancers, alongside food and resource vendors.
“A lot of things are happening right now with this this generation,” said Jackson about her endeavors, deeply driven by her faith, to organize more youth outreach events. “It takes us to be the ones who go out here and do that street ministry and help them, because they’re not getting all of this at home. So why not be that positive outlet for them?”
The Juneteenth 2k23 Celebration will be at Dyess Park, 902 James Brown Blvd., on Saturday June 17, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information on SheaButter Empowerment, visit its website at https://www.sheabutterempowerment.com/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
