Photo by: Eric Evans Photo
Mennengas To Speak At Juneteenth Rally
06/19/20 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
UO coach Mike Mennenga and his wife, Shannetta, will appear Saturday at a Juneteenth celebration in Alton Baker Park.
Eugene's Alton Baker Park will host a celebration Saturday, June 20, to mark the occasion of Juneteenth, and the UO men's basketball program will be represented on the schedule of events.
Juneteenth is a holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army led 1,000 troops to Galveston, Texas, with news the Civil War had ended and slaves were free.
Saturday's event in Alton Baker Park is scheduled to run from noon to 7 p.m., and will feature speakers, educational moments, performances by Black artists and food from Black-owned food carts. Among the speakers during the first hour will be UO men's basketball assistant coach Mike Mennenga and his wife, Shannetta. Student-athletes Will Richardson and Eric Williams Jr. also plan to attend, along with other staff.
Mennenga previously worked at Canisius College in Buffalo, where he said the Juneteenth celebration was a long weekend featuring music, performances, soul food and barbecue, and a basketball tournament.
"This is a celebration," Mennenga said. "Many Black folks, especially the older generation like my in-laws, look at Juneteenth as their Independence Day. So I love the fact that community organizations like B.L.A.C (Black-Led Action Coalition) and H.O.N.E.Y (Honoring our New Ethnic Youth) are bringing awareness and celebrating a monumental moment in Black history."
Like the rest of the country, Mennenga and the UO basketball program have had wide-ranging conversations in recent weeks following the murder of George Floyd.
"It's sad and upsetting that our society is still fighting racism, hate and contending with police violence," Mennenga said. "However, it has been invigorating to have these spirited conversations with our student-athletes, and seeing young people empowered across our country inspiring change. Most importantly, having open dialogue about the importance to register and vote in November."
Mennenga was born into an interracial family — a white father and Latina mother — and now is the father of an interracial family. He said he has viewed the national discussion through both prisms, as well as a coach/mentor to many Black student-athletes. He said he's had "tearful conversations" with his daughters — Cheyenne, 16, and Nyla, 14 — about the realities of racism, hate and discrimination.
"I believe that it's my generation's responsibility to do all we can to empower and position today's young adults, and teenagers like my daughters, to put an end to systemic racism and hate," Mennenga said. "When I was young, I didn't think about voting — shame on me. Guess what? My daughters are already asking 'Can I register to vote?' And our student-athletes want to make a difference too.
"The future is bright but it's on us adults — the parents, the mentors — to empower and give direction so our young people can win this fight for equality."
UO head coach Dana Altman is taking steps to ensure that voting will be a priority for his student-athletes this fall. The basketball program has already declared that there will be no practice or any other team-related activities on Nov. 3, Election Day.
Mennenga said he and others also have been inspired by calls from Andrew Colas, a member of the UO Board of Trustees, to de-name Deady Hall. One of the oldest buildings on campus, Deady Hall is named for a former state Supreme Court justice who harbored racist views.
UO President Michael Schill has recommended de-naming the building, and the UO Board of Trustees will take up the matter in a special session on Wednesday, June 24, at 1 p.m. Mennenga called that "a significant step to doing what's right, and sending a message to our guys that their voices are being heard."
"It's vital that we differentiate between what is our past and what is our history," Mennenga said. "We learn from our past; we grow and are inspired by our history. The name of Deady Hall is part of our past, a time we learn from, make right and move on from."
Mennenga said conversations with family and basketball peers across the country have ultimately centered on not letting the present moment pass without it being a turning point.
"I'm optimistic," he said, "about our young people's commitment and passion to impact change, and vote."
Juneteenth is a holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army led 1,000 troops to Galveston, Texas, with news the Civil War had ended and slaves were free.
Saturday's event in Alton Baker Park is scheduled to run from noon to 7 p.m., and will feature speakers, educational moments, performances by Black artists and food from Black-owned food carts. Among the speakers during the first hour will be UO men's basketball assistant coach Mike Mennenga and his wife, Shannetta. Student-athletes Will Richardson and Eric Williams Jr. also plan to attend, along with other staff.
Mennenga previously worked at Canisius College in Buffalo, where he said the Juneteenth celebration was a long weekend featuring music, performances, soul food and barbecue, and a basketball tournament.
"This is a celebration," Mennenga said. "Many Black folks, especially the older generation like my in-laws, look at Juneteenth as their Independence Day. So I love the fact that community organizations like B.L.A.C (Black-Led Action Coalition) and H.O.N.E.Y (Honoring our New Ethnic Youth) are bringing awareness and celebrating a monumental moment in Black history."
Like the rest of the country, Mennenga and the UO basketball program have had wide-ranging conversations in recent weeks following the murder of George Floyd.
"It's sad and upsetting that our society is still fighting racism, hate and contending with police violence," Mennenga said. "However, it has been invigorating to have these spirited conversations with our student-athletes, and seeing young people empowered across our country inspiring change. Most importantly, having open dialogue about the importance to register and vote in November."
Mennenga was born into an interracial family — a white father and Latina mother — and now is the father of an interracial family. He said he has viewed the national discussion through both prisms, as well as a coach/mentor to many Black student-athletes. He said he's had "tearful conversations" with his daughters — Cheyenne, 16, and Nyla, 14 — about the realities of racism, hate and discrimination.
"I believe that it's my generation's responsibility to do all we can to empower and position today's young adults, and teenagers like my daughters, to put an end to systemic racism and hate," Mennenga said. "When I was young, I didn't think about voting — shame on me. Guess what? My daughters are already asking 'Can I register to vote?' And our student-athletes want to make a difference too.
"The future is bright but it's on us adults — the parents, the mentors — to empower and give direction so our young people can win this fight for equality."
UO head coach Dana Altman is taking steps to ensure that voting will be a priority for his student-athletes this fall. The basketball program has already declared that there will be no practice or any other team-related activities on Nov. 3, Election Day.
Mennenga said he and others also have been inspired by calls from Andrew Colas, a member of the UO Board of Trustees, to de-name Deady Hall. One of the oldest buildings on campus, Deady Hall is named for a former state Supreme Court justice who harbored racist views.
UO President Michael Schill has recommended de-naming the building, and the UO Board of Trustees will take up the matter in a special session on Wednesday, June 24, at 1 p.m. Mennenga called that "a significant step to doing what's right, and sending a message to our guys that their voices are being heard."
"It's vital that we differentiate between what is our past and what is our history," Mennenga said. "We learn from our past; we grow and are inspired by our history. The name of Deady Hall is part of our past, a time we learn from, make right and move on from."
Mennenga said conversations with family and basketball peers across the country have ultimately centered on not letting the present moment pass without it being a turning point.
"I'm optimistic," he said, "about our young people's commitment and passion to impact change, and vote."
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