'History matters': Carmel students help plan city's first Juneteenth celebration

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Growing up in Carmel wasn’t always easy, Varda Coleman says.

“I had an issue understanding who I am and who I need to be,” Coleman said. “I got better at it throughout the years and learned not to be ashamed of my skin color or where I come from.”

The 18-year-old, who graduated from Carmel High School last month, is now trying to support other Black people in her hometown. Coleman, 19-year-old Sophia Jallow and other members of the high school’s Black Student Alliance teamed up to plan what’s believed to be Carmel’s first Juneteenth celebration.

“Carmel is predominantly white, but there is a Black community in Carmel, and they are very real,” Jallow said. “The biggest goal for me is to help Black children feel like their history matters. What I want to do with this event is just instill cultural pride and give the Black community a chance to celebrate.”

The celebration will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Carter Green, near the Palladium, on June 19. There will be food vendors, musical performances and educational booths with lessons for kids on the history of Juneteenth.

June 19 marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. In 2021, former President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress that marked Juneteenth, or June 19, as a federal holiday.

The Black Student Alliance started planning the event in December then worked for several months on raising money and other logistics. Jallow hopes it becomes an annual event, with more support from the City of Carmel in future years.

The Juneteenth event could help Carmel progress forward from a history that has included some accusations of racial ignorance and racism, Jallow said. The city previously settled two lawsuits, filed in 1997 and 2014, that accused Carmel police officers of racial profiling.

“If Carmel wants to disprove any negative or bad reputations regarding race, this event will help,” Jallow said. “Prioritizing Juneteenth and showing that they do care about their Black community shows initiative.”

For Jallow, national and statewide efforts this year to stop diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, fueled her in planning the Juneteenth event. Executive orders from President Donald Trump in January rolled back DEI initiatives in the federal government. Then concerns about the bill and federal actions led some state colleges to preemptively shutter diversity-related offices and trainings.

Gov. Mike Braun also signed an executive order in January prohibiting DEI initiatives in state government and closing the former Office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer.

“Targeting DEI is the very antithesis of Juneteenth, because DEI was born because Black Americans are oppressed in this country, and it started with slavery,” Jallow said. “We can’t change the world overnight, but the Juneteenth celebration can have an impact in our own community, here in Carmel.”

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Jake_Allen19.