July 2025

Allen Mack - Monthly Zoom Presentation - July 2025
Wednesday, July 16, at 7pm cst/8pm est

About the Living History Foundation:
The Living History Foundation (LHF) is a community-oriented organization based in Austin, TX. Our mission is to teach emerging young interpreters how to research and interpret the stories of people of color, women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. In doing so, prove our ancestors shared many of the same dreams and aspirations we all do today.

Our programs include (TEKS) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards, required learning for Texas students grade kindergarten to 12th. And to make what we do even more impactful, we try to incorporate (STEM) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math topics in all our programs. Our programs are interactive, open-ended, and include activities, stories, and a visual display. We can set up indoors or out, and we don't need a P/A system or electricity.

Simply stated, we are storytellers, and to help tell our stories, we wear the clothing and bring display items from the era we portray. We believe there is nothing more important than to approach history as close to real life as possible. One day, our children will inherit the world our ancestors had envisioned. Until then, let's give them the tools they will need to help make this a better world for all.

Allen Mack
Founder

Preparing the Child . . . Preserving a Legacy

Topic: Allen Mack - Monthly Zoom Presentation
Time: Jul 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM CST/8:00 PM EST


Meeting ID: 893 4169 1996
Passcode: 512296

Zoom Link

Juneteenth 2025

On Saturday, June 14, the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association (SISCA) held our annual Juneteenth celebration. The day was filled with both traditional and a couple newer events.

The first traditional event was our parade, which featured Lt. Col. Richard L.
Best, US Army, Retired, as our parade marshal. While it was small, it was a spirited event.

At the Juneteenth program that followed the parade, SISCA president Augusta
“Gigi” Pines welcomed everyone. Then, Sterling “Smiley” Goodloe gave the opening prayer. Afterward, we sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is also known as the “Black National Anthem.” Next, Lt. Col. Best spoke about the importance of Juneteenth and encouraged everyone to do their best and always keep moving forward. Augusta Pines announced the parade winners – (1) Lt. Col. Richard L. Best, parade marshal, (2) Mr. Talamantez and his horse riders, and (3) Mr. Earwood.

This year, the Carver School, where Juneteenth is held, featured Gage Brown’s
incredible artwork. Her work was displayed along the walls within the school. While speaking about her work, Gage discussed how she uses natural elements to create many of her pieces and how much of her work is informed by the land and the people who live on it.

The next part of the program focused on discussing the history of Juneteenth.
For the Black Seminoles, our celebration of Juneteenth is interesting because at the time that General Granger read General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, we were already free. The Black Seminoles, also known as the Negros Mascogos, found refuge and freedom in Mexico in 1950. Therefore, as our founder Miss Charles Emily Wilson stated we celebrate Juneteenth in solidarity with our Black American brethren. Even though the Black Seminoles were free, no one was truly free until everyone was. Following our Juneteenth history discussion, we opened the floor for comments from our attendees. Micco Fay, one of our board members, encouraged everyone to go out and travel to our diasporic locations and to places that feature our history. This is a great way to learn more about our history, and it’s a way to teach others about it. Next, we played a recording of Dr. Maya Angelou reciting “Still I Rise.”

Then we sang “This Little Light of Mine,” and Sterling Goodloe closed out the program with a final prayer.

This year, we had a display table that featured red foods. Our display featured
red velvet cupcakes, strawberries, watermelon, and red soda. Other traditional red foods can include hibiscus tea, red hot links, and red beans and rice. These foods represent the blood that was shed by those who were enslaved, along with their resilience and sacrifice.

Following our program, we held our annual BBQ plate sale which featured
brisket, chicken, sausage, rice, beans, and potato salad. We had a great team that
came together to prepare and serve the food, and then an even greater group that cleaned up afterward.

Once everyone’s bellies were full, we settled in for a few rounds of loteria. There
were several shouts of victory (and a few groans of defeat), as the game became
competitive. This year, we also had a table for kids’ crafts, so several of the kids (little and big) made necklaces and bracelets using noodles that had been dyed red, white, and blue (traditional Juneteenth colors) and cards for Juneteenth and Father’s Day.

Following loteria, we had an Afro-Seminole Creole (ASC) lesson that was taught
by Gabriel Sanchez. This was the second lesson that Gabriel has taught. Even though we focused on the basics of ASC, everyone who attended came away with a better understanding of the structure and origins of our language. We are looking forward to continuing our revitalization efforts and having our next in-person lesson in September.

As our treasurer Corina Torralba stated, this year’s Juneteenth in Brackettville
was “small, but it was powerful, full of love and unity.”

written by Windy Goodloe
reprinted in The Kinney County Post and Indian Voices
View additional Juneteenth photos on the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association Facebook Page

seminol e days
friday, september 19 - sunday, SEPTEMBER 21, 2025

We are looking forward to seeing you at Seminole Days this year. We will be releasing details soon.