For Ruth Drake, allyship in the face of adversity means everything.

The Gloversville native was one of many speakers to offer words of affirmation and pride at Lashawn Hawkins’ five-year rebranding celebration held at the Glove Theater on Thursday, coinciding with Juneteenth. Hawkins’ nonprofit, “I Can Breath & I Will Speak,” is now branded as “Lashawn’s Heart,” in order to make the name shorter for people to say. The celebration also included a spoken-word poem performed by Joelle Nemecek and a slideshow presentation with pictures from the past five years of organization, marches and community service.

“The rebrand is basically to keep my mission focused, and people were getting lost in the ‘I Can Breath and I Will Speak,’ and it’s so much bigger than that,” Hawkins said after the event. “That’s the whole purpose of the rebrand. It was basically putting my name to it so people know that I’m all in.”

Hawkins additionally announced plans to build a family shelter in the city. She said the nonprofit is speaking with grant writers about applying for grants, although they have not received any funding yet. Hawkins said once funding is secured, the shelter will be “big.”

“I learned over the past couple of years we don’t have one, and the conditions that our children live in that are homeless is deplorable, and it’s really saddening,” she said. “That’s why this all came about. I figured there’s a need in three counties at that, so I’m going to address the need.”

Before the event, Hawkins spoke with The Leader-Herald about the importance of Juneteenth, which was made a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

“Juneteenth is about celebrating the freedoms and all of the struggles that it took to get to this,” she said.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation........

© The Leader Herald