International

Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change.

From Mark Hughes:

What to the Descendants of Slavery is the 250th Anniversary of the United States?

As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, Juxtaposition asks a profound question inspired by Frederick Douglass: What to the Descendants of Slavery is the 250th Anniversary of the United States? Host Rev. Mark Hughes examines the enduring tension between America's founding ideals and the lived experience of descendants of slavery, exploring how Black Americans have been central to the nation's ongoing expansion of democracy. Blending history, constitutional reflection, and the Black prophetic tradition, this episode challenges viewers to consider not only what America has been, but what it must yet become.

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org

From the organizers:

On behalf of the organizing committee and Toward Freedom, I warmly invite you to attend Africa Day 2026, on Saturday, May 30, at the ONE Community Center in Burlington, Vermont. This year's theme, “Panafricanism, Current Challenges and Emerging Trends,” follows the recent 9th Pan-African Congress in Lomé, Togo. It invites us to reflect on Pan-Africanism today: its legacy, its urgent challenges, and its emerging role in addressing the climate crisis, inequality, migration, peace, and global solidarity.

Africa Day is more than a celebration. It is a space for dialogue, culture, music, community, and renewed purpose. Together, we will honor African communities in Vermont, across Africa, and throughout the diaspora.

Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change.

From Mark Hughes:

This month’s episode of Juxtaposition examines the growing national crisis surrounding voting rights and equal protection through a distinctly Black political and historical lens. Host Rev Mark Hughes explores the continued weakening of the Voting Rights Act by the United States Supreme Court, with particular focus on the recent Louisiana v. Callais case and its implications for Black political representation and democratic participation.

The program also examines Vermont’s movement on Proposal 4, the Equal Protection Amendment, and discusses why constitutional protections matter during a period of increasing attacks on civil-rights enforcement nationwide.

Rooted in the prophetic tradition of Black civic and faith leadership, this episode connects history, law, organizing, and community action while emphasizing the urgency of democratic engagement in the current political moment.

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org

Presented by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Author and Historian, former Executive Director, Vermont State Historical Society.

For more information visit: eeevermont.org