NAACP Washington branch hosts first Juneteenth celebration
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Among the highlights of the NAACP Washington branch’s Juneteenth celebration was a delicious spread, including cupcakes decorated in the Juneteenth flag colors.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Jeremiah Comedy, 4, dances during the NAACP Washington branch’s Juneteeth celebration Saturday. Comedy and his mother, Shanna LaCarte, of Meadow Lands, enjoyed an afternoon of activities, food and great music.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
What’s a holiday celebration without a banner? The NAACP Washington branch welcomed the public to its first Juneteenth celebration Saturday in the parking lot at St. Paul AME Church with a colorful banner and great food.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Attendees to the Juneteenth celebration in Washington grab some food and chat while Kenyan-inspired music blares from the speakers in the parking lot of St. Paul AME Church.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Jules Campa, 12, sits patiently while her mother, Theresa Campa, the art teacher at Ringgold High School, paints the young woman’s face. Both Campas, faces decorated, offered their artistry at the Juneteenth celebration Saturday.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Eli Springer sits still so Jules Campa can paint Spiderman on his face at last year’s Juneteenth celebration in Washington.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Lynnelle Goins, of the NAACP Washington branch, discusses Afro-centric lit with Saint, a representative from the Center for Coalfield Justice, during Saturday’s Juneteenth event.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Afro-centric literature was available for free to attendees of the first-annual Juneteenth celebration in Washington Saturday afternoon.
Community members and passersby joined the NAACP Washington branch for its first Juneteenth celebration Saturday at St. Paul AME Church in Washington, where attendees learned more about and celebrated the holiday.
“I just learned of it a week ago. I went to YouTube and started learning the history of it,” said Jamie Reed, of Washington, who spent her afternoon listening to music and chatting with vendors and members of the NAACP Washington branch. “I think it’s a good thing. It’s something for history books and something to learn about.”
In 2019, Gov. Tom Wolf declared June 19 “Juneteenth National Freedom Day” in the state, and last year President Joe Biden signed a proclamation designating Juneteenth a national holiday.
But the date, one of the most significant in our country’s history (NAACP Washington branch president Dr. Andrew Goudy said it’s sometimes referred to as a “second independence day”) is often left out of textbooks and school curriculua.
“History has had an agenda,” said Dr. Robert East, director of Washington & Jefferson College’s Environmental Studies program and a member of the NAACP Washington branch’s executive committee. “I’m finding … many of our students coming out of high school with a lack of understanding of these things. I’m seeing that many of our students are coming with a lack of historical knowledge about African American issues, and even why they should care about it. I’m a bit disappointed that so many of our students are coming to us not understanding things like Juneteenth.”
Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free – two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, granting freedom to more than three million slaves living in the Confederate south.
“Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery. That’s what the holiday is all about,” said Goudy. “In 1865 … the Union troops came along and liberated the last group of slaves. They became the symbol. Juneteenth is celebrated all over the country now, but it all started in Galveston, Texas. This holiday is really catching on. But, you know, we still have our work to do. We as the NAACP want to bring this to people’s attention. We have to educate a lot of people.”
Education was a top priority Saturday. Lynnelle Goins, a member of the NAACP Washington branch executive committee, and Antoinette Fitch, of Amity, who recently joined the nonprofit, passed out flyers on Juneteenth. While Goins gave away Afro-centric literature (including Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and a book by President Barack Obama), Fitch handed out wristbands to commemorate the occasion.
“It’s important (people) know about it,” said Carolyn Dunklin, third vice president of the NAACP Washington branch. “This is about our culture, our history, our past.”
The educational aspects of Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration were balanced with fun in the form of great music, good food and children’s activities.
Ashley Anderson, of Washington, and sister Shannon Willis said it’s important for families to attend events like the NAACP’s Juneteenth celebration.
“It’s important for (kids) to know their culture and the history of African Americans,” Anderson said, pointing to her 2-year-old son, Eli Springer, who was having his face painted. “That’s important, for him to know where he came from, where we are and how far we have to go.”
This year’s event was a trial run, said Helen Dates, who headed up the Juneteenth celebration.
“We want it to be a real community event,” she said, noting she and Goudy would like to expand next year’s event to include live musical performances and, perhaps, a Juneteenth parade.
“We plan to do this every year, bigger and better,” Goudy said.
The bigger and better the celebration, the more accessible the overlooked holiday becomes.
“People long ago dreamed of a day of having freedom. It was hard-won that we should never forget,” said Fitch. “We need to keep striving forward.”