A Different Kind of Juneteenth: A Chat with BAAM March Organizers Andrew Daly and Alana Yzola

For many witnessing the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement since the George Floyd murder in May, there is a frequent observation that a new generation of Americans, both millennials and generation z, will finally break the back of hatred in the United States.

Feed up with the empty promises of politicians, dismayed by law enforcement agencies, and a nation all too willing to accept the systematic nature of racism within its institutions, there a collective cry of “enough” from large cities to small towns.

But who are these new young leaders?

The Spy met two of them the other day. Andrew Daly and Alana Yzola, both actively involved with Building African-American Minds (BAAM) in Talbot County, are remarkable examples of a new kind of leader. Unwilling to compromise any longer as they see African-Americans fall victim to police brutality, mass incarceration, inadequate health care, and limited access to economic and educational opportunities, they decided it was their time to act.

They also are not  willing to tolerate the symbolic memorialization of those who fought to preserve slavery, such as the Talbot Boys statue’s case on the Talbot County Courthouse lawn.

That’s why Andrew and Alana made the decision to use Juneteenth, a celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, this coming Friday to organize a march to send a clear message to the Mid-Shore that enough is indeed enough.

The Spy sat down with both of them on the BAAM campus in Easton to understand more how they came to this moment.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. The BAAM Juneteenth March will start at 4:30PM at BAAM Center, 31 Jowite St, Easton, this Friday.