|
10th
Annual Juneteenth Celebration
By
Kimberlee Morrison
Online Forty-Niner
The 10th Annual Juneteenth Celebration attracted over 400 people to Martin
Luther King Park in Long Beach Saturday.
This year marked the 140th anniversary of when slaves in Texas heard they were
free; two years after the Jan. 1, 1863, signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
by President Abraham Lincoln.
Sixth District Councilwoman Laura Richardson, Long Beach Parks and Recreations
and Partners of Parks, presented the celebration. A craft fair, food vendors,
a health pavilion, rides and activities especially for children, and a gospel
concert made the Juneteenth celebration in Long Beach truly unique.
For Aundrea Russell, host of KJLH’s Spread the Word and master of ceremonies
for the Juneteenth 2005 celebration, the gospel festival gave even more significance
to this solemn event.
This was Russell’s second year participating in the Juneteenth celebration
in Long Beach.
" This is a great way to combine praising the Lord with celebrating the
abolishment of slavery," Russell said.
For Richardson, the event symbolized not only taking two years for the word
to get to the people of their freedom, but also the challenges blacks and other
minorities still face today. This is a chance to raise community awareness
and get the message out that there are opportunities for minorities to advance
and make a difference.
Sadly, though, many people attending the Juneteenth celebration had no idea
what the event was about or why they were celebrating. Vendor Nicole McDonald
said this lack of awareness and knowledge of history is one of the most serious
problems plaguing the black community, which is why the Juneteenth celebration
is so important.
Gwen Morris of the National Council of Negro Women said she did not know what
Juneteenth was until she moved to Long Beach and attended the Juneteenth festival
for the first time three years ago.
It seemed ridiculous to her that she had never learned such an important part
of black history. Morris believes many underlying issues result from the lack
of cultural awareness.
"If you don’t know where you came from, you have no sense of pride
about who you are," she said. "We have such a rich history and it’s
important that the youth know that people in high places are there because others
lost their lives so we could have opportunities."
The city of Long Beach hosts a number of cultural events each year, including
a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
To Bubba Jackson, stage manager for Juneteenth 2005, that says a lot about
Long Beach and its diversity.
" Long Beach is in a change," Richardson said. "A change for peace
and power."
Change and unity seemed to be the main theme among the people attending the
celebration. Darlene Anderson of Christ Second Baptist Church called the event
a time for all of God’s people, no matter the ethnicity or culture, to
come together and be free. "It is a time of spiritual awakening," she
said.
" I look forward to coming to Long Beach every year," Russell said. "It’s
become tradition." |
