Get to know Sandusky's Juneteenth speaker

SANDUSKY — In honor of the national holiday celebrating the emancipation of slaves, a man who had slave-owning ancestors will talk about reconciling with that discovery at an event in Sandusky next month. Craig Woodson, a percussionist who studies the social and cultural aspects of music, is slated to deliver the keynote address at Sandusky's Juneteenth celebration on June 19 at the Jackson Street Pier. In his address, he will discuss his family's history of owning slaves and the steps he's taken since learning of that. Woodson, who is an ethnomusicologist, has been teaching drumming workshops and professional programs for over 25 years. He was 41 when he learned that his family were slave owners. In the same year that his ancestors came to America, they purchased six Angolans who'd been trafficked. Not only did his family own slaves, but they were some of the first to do so in America. Many of the slaves kept the last name Woodson after their emancipation. Carter G. Woodson, Craig's ancestor, was born in 1875. Carter, a historian and author, and was the creator of Negro History Week, which later expanded in the 1970s to become Black History Month. Craig set out to meet the Black side of his family after learning about Carter, and in 1998, the two sides met in Los Angeles. Looking toward others Craig has worked to encourage others whose families have slave-owning histories to own their past ever since. He believes that the reason so many do not want to face their family's true history is the result of the concept of white fragility. "It's not enough to be an ally, you need to be anti-racist," Craig said. "You can't just say, 'I'm not a racist,' that's not enough." When some of his other white family members heard about his contact with the Black side of his family, they did not want to participate. They feared that they would be yelled at for their family's history — something Craig said did not happen. "People fear because they think some big bad thing is going to happen," Craig said. "The big bad thing has already happened." Craig's story gained popularity after NPR published an article on the family back in February. The article received 500,000 downloads on the first day of its publication. His advice to those who have slave-owning history in their family is just two words: show up. He encourages others to look at their involvement with the Black community and he believes white Americans need to listen to their Black counterparts. Craig is the current president of the Cleveland branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, an organization first started by Carter Woodson. He is also the founder of Ethnomusic, Inc. a world music education consultancy. Before his address at Sandusky's Juneteenth Celebration, he will be hosting a bongo-making session at noon. There will be 50 slots open on a first-come-first-serve basis. Want to go? What: Sandusky Juneteenth Celebration When: Noon to 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 19 Where: Jackson Street Pier, 233 W. Shoreline Drive, Sandusky Cost: The event is free and open to the public.