Please join us for an event to commemorate Juneteenth!
This will be the second annual and free community event hosted by We Are Bethlehem. This year, we are pleased to invite you to attend "An Evening with Miki Conn." Miki Conn is an author, poet, artist, storyteller, and editor of "Integrating Delmar."
We are thrilled to host this event but would love to know that you're coming. Please RSVP on this event page or at
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
"Integrating Delmar 1957: The Story of a Friendship" chronicles a middle class African American family’s search for housing during the summer of 1957 and the results of the decision by a white couple to rent their house to them. The lasting friendship that developed is an important part of their story. The book is based on private journals kept by the two women, neither knowing that the other also kept a journal. The growing attention of Americans to the lingering consequences of racism today makes this book an important memoir; an opportunity to take a look back, not at history or theory but at the lived experiences of Margaret B. Cunningham and Arlen R. Westbrook.
Our speaker, Miki Conn, is the editor and self-publisher of the book, and daughter of one of the authors, Margaret B. Cunningham. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at this event.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Miki Conn is an artist, storyteller, poet, writer and community organizer. Her African and Native American heritage inspired her interest in indigenous arts and multiculturalism. Her travels inspired her exploration of the myths, legends, arts and belief systems of many lands.
Miki is the retired, former executive director of the Hamilton Hill Arts Center, a multi-arts center located in the heart of the inner-city in Schenectady. Several of her essays are published in the anthology “Sacred Waters” and she edited and self-published “Integrating Delmar 1957, the Story of a Friendship,” authored by her mother, Margaret Cunningham and her mother’s friend, Arlen Westbrook. She published a book of poetry entitled “Out of My Mind: A Quirky Look at Life Through Poetry, a children’s book entitled “The Story of a House” and is currently working on a second children’s book, “Oshun’s Pumpkins”.
Miki is the daughter of Dr. James Cunningham and Margaret Cunningham, ( both deceased), mother of four adult children, grandmother of four and great grandmother of one. Since retiring, her focus has been on completing personal writing projects and volunteering for the Hamilton Hill Arts Center.
A graduate of Bethlehem Central High School, Miki’s family integrated Delmar. Miki was the only black student there from 1957 when she began middle school to 1962 when she graduated from high school. This was a time when the community did not welcome African Americans; her experiences there motivated her activism in the Civil Rights Movement.
ABOUT JUNETEENTH:
Juneteenth - also called Freedom Day - was declared a national holiday in the United States in 2021. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. On June 19, 1865, following the end of the Civil War, enslaved people in Texas were freed under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier. Some areas of the United States delayed freeing African-Americans, and the last state to comply with the federal orders was Texas - though other enslaved people were freed even later. Juneteenth has been observed since 1866 in some parts of the country. For many African-Americans, Juneteenth has traditionally been celebrated with barbecues and family gatherings.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:
We Are Bethlehem is a working group composed of community residents who are committed to promoting equity and justice and celebrating the diversity of our community. You can learn more about us at WeAreBethlehem.org
Also check out other Arts events in Delmar, Literary Art events in Delmar.
