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Description
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, from 1-3 p.m. Join us 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.”
About Rohanna Delossantos
Delossantos loves teaching history through the arts. As a New Haven Public Schools teacher, she works with adult education students as they earn credit towards their high school diplomas. Her courses include Project Museum, a class and community museum run by students and focused on career-readiness skills. As a New Haven Museum staff educator, she has developed family programs since 2019. Her favorite programs include dream mobiles for MLK Day, Barriles de Bomba, and paper dolls of everyday New Haven heroes. Her greatest inspiration comes from her children, who help her plan and practice her family programs.
About the Pardee-Morris House
Located at 325 Lighthouse Road, in New Haven, the Pardee-Morris House dates from about 1780, and is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Built by Amos Morris around 1750, the house was burned by the British during their raid on New Haven in 1779 and rebuilt and expanded by the Morris family. In 1918, William S. Pardee, a descendant of the Morris family, willed the property to the New Haven Colony Historical Society, today the New Haven Museum. For a complete list of summer events at the Pardee-Morris House, visit: http://newhavenmuseum.org/visit/pardee-morris-house/ For New Haven Museum’s event calendar: http://newhavenmuseum.org/visit/events-calendar/ Sign up for e-blasts at info@newhavenmuseum.org.
About the New Haven Museum
The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach. As a Blue Star Museum, the New Haven Museum offers the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, free admission all year. For more information visit http://newhavenmuseum.org or @NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.
Date & Time
Sun, Jun 22, 2025 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Venue Details
Pardee-Morris House
325 Lighthouse RoadNew Haven, Connecticut 06510
