Juneteenth Food & Culture Kids’ Program Returns to Pardee-Morris House

New Haven, Conn. (May 5, 2025) –New Haven Museum educator Rohanna Delossantos will present, “Make a Plate! Juneteenth Food & Culture for Kids,” at the Pardee-Morris House on Sunday, June 22, 2025, at 2 p.m. Register here for this free family event for kids aged 12 and under. For weather updates check FB/IG or call 203-562-4183.

During this special kids’ program, visitors will recreate a pretend feast using paper to make Juneteenth-inspired play food. The “menu” will include red foods (like hibiscus tea and red velvet cake), that are symbolic of power and transformation. Each family will take home a collection of play foods to continue the joyful celebration at home. Families are encouraged to bring a blanket to sit on.

Delossantos notes the tradition of red drinks began in West Africa using parts of two plants: kola nuts, a seed of the cola plant, and the hibiscus pod, the innermost part of the roselle flower. As West African culture came to the U.S. with the transatlantic slave trade, so came the tradition of steeping the seeds in water. She shares a quote from “Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations” by Nicole A. Taylor, “’Making red drinks is communion, a libation to old and new sacrifices–the future and past illuminated through the glass. A sip takes you on a journey from where we’ve been to where we’re going.’"

As a history teacher in the New Haven public school system, Delossantos is interested in the growing popularity of Juneteenth celebrations on a national level. She brings years of experience in developing engaging children’s programming at school to her popular programs at the New Haven Museum.

Delossantos created her Juneteenth craft while watching her children play make-believe and wanting them to better understand the history of the national holiday. Her goal is for families familiar with Juneteenth food traditions to enjoy a joyful afternoon of play, and, she says, “I hope families who are new to Juneteenth will grow an understanding of its history of red, the incorporation of seasonal southern June foods, and its expressions of freedom.”

Delossantos created her Juneteenth craft while watching her children play make-believe and wanting them to better understand the history of the national holiday. Her goal is for families familiar with Juneteenth food traditions to enjoy a joyful afternoon of play, and, she says, “I hope families who are new to Juneteenth will grow an understanding of its history of red, the incorporation of seasonal southern June foods, and its expressions of freedom.”