Juneteenth - Columbia, SC

Seven year-old Blaize Jamison marches down Main St. on Friday, June 19, 2020 in Columbia, SC. Blaize will start second grade come the fall. Photos and words by Sean Rayford

Middle school English teacher Theron Jamison has been talking with his seven year-old son, Blaize, about what life was like for Theron’s father growing up in the segregated South, in nearby North, South Carolina. Through life experiences and stories, he’s been teaching him about slavery — and most recently, the significance of June 19th, a celebration of emancipation originating in Galveston, TX in 1865. This morning, he brought Jamison to march with his Omega Psi Phi family.

“I wanted to just show by action, how to let your voice be heard and how to channel your energy in a positive way — and how to get results,” says Theron, “I came out for fellowship with my fraternity brothers and to also march for Juneteenth to become a state holiday. And also to show that Black lives matter and to support the protests that are going on in the country concerning the unjust treatment of people of color.”

Theron Jamison and Blaize Jamison