DuBois on Main plans special celebration

Steve Keenan, The Fayette Tribune, Oak Hill, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jun. 19—The DuBois on Main Museum in Mount Hope will stage a brief outdoor celebration to commemorate West Virginia Day on June 20.

DuBois on Main's Jean Evansmore urges visitors to stop by from 3 to 5 p.m. on June 20. The event will be three-fold: to celebrate Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) and West Virginia Day (the day West Virginia was founded in 1863), as well as mark the start of the DuBois on Main Museum season.

According to Evansmore, there will be food and conversation, and copies of Black by God newspaper, which is published by Crystal Good, will be available.

As a reminder, Evansmore says, "Masks need to be worn and social distancing must be done as people are still getting sick."

Check the DuBois on Main Facebook page for updates in case of inclement weather.

The Covid-19 pandemic has curtailed DuBois on Main activities in recent years, and Evansmore admits she's a bit apprehensive about reopening. "I definitely would like to reopen on a less frequent basis than I did through 2019," she said.

She says her aim is to continue to foster civic engagement, and she plans to solicit comments and opinions on Monday by having people write what they would like to be part of "as I intend to get them to take on leadership roles."

"Ideas are swimming around in my head, but I hope to be able to hold back a bit and hear what others think," she said.

Evansmore remains involved in other civic and community engagement groups in the state.

"I'm aware that we can register folks to vote, but that doesn't mean they will," she says. "Education is the key so far as I can tell.

"Have to figure out what will get folks to stand up, speak up and think. Adults keep themselves quiet as this is what has been taught to us since childhood, mainly through religion. It's worked to make folks suppress themselves. I would like to tie various DuBois histories into these discussions. DuBois students traveled to various events out of state as participants ... and in the state as learners of state government, though they knew they could not expect to be in one of those positions."

Email: skeenan@register-herald.com or follow on Twitter @gb_scribe