‘It celebrates us as a whole’
Festival marks 1865 emancipation, continuing fight for civil rights
Visitors milled about Gary City Hall grounds Saturday for the city’s second annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival celebration. A DJ and musical entertainers, a poet and dance performances by students of Asia’s Dance Factory in Gary were among the entertainment for the family-friendly afternoon event. Booths included food vendors, artisans and service agencies along with an opportunity to register to vote hosted by the NAACP Gary chapter. The festival continues Sunday at 3 p.m. with the Gospel Explosion concert at city hall
Deputy Mayor Trent McCain addressed the crowd along with U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, and Stephen Mays, president of the Gary Chapter of the NAACP, and the Rev. John Jackson Sr., from Trinity United Church of Christ in Gary.
Jackson shared some of the history behind the Juneteenth celebration in a rousing speech that called on those present to remember the fight for freedom continues.
“We are practicing self-determination. We may have made some progress but we are still not free,” Jackson said.
The national reckoning brought about by the murder of George Floyd shows there is still work to be done. He called on those present to support Black-owned businesses such as those at the festival and not let corporate greed take the opportunity to co-opt the day.
“Juneteenth has been celebrated for a very long time. It is one of many rituals Black people in America put together on their own to celebrate,” Jackson said.
The Emancipation Proclamation signed in 1863 did not free
the slaves, Black people did by fighting in the war and by organizing. Slaves in Texas did not know they were freed until they were finally told about the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865.
“Juneteenth is a celebration expressly to remember not only to be free but to reconnect with our loved ones,” Jackson said.
The desire of former slaves to reunite with their loved ones who were sold away is at the root of homecoming celebrations that continue today at schools throughout the country and the concept of family reunions still taking place today.
Mays encouraged those present to patronize the Black-owned businesses in the city and for those not already affiliated to join a civil rights organization. He called on those present to register to vote to help ensure the future of freedom and to us the Juneteenth holiday as a day of service.
“That’s what the spirit of Juneteenth is all about,” Mays said. “In 2022, we are still not totally free. This is a special day we should always remember and reflect on,” Mays said, adding people need to take advantage of the opportunity to think about things that must still be accomplished.
Mrvan thanked everyone for coming out, especially the children.
“We have to be able to teach our history,” Mrvan said.
“In our nation we want to celebrate our freedoms, not take them away,” he continued, adding he was proud to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, which brought resources to the city. He said he would fight to ensure young women grow up to have the freedoms their mothers did.
“You have an advocate in Washington D.C.,” Mrvan said.
Breta Jackson of Crown Point and Marsha Daniel of Michigan City were both born and raised in Gary. The friends came out Saturday for the Juneteenth Freedom Festival in the Gary.
Jackson said growing up she had never heard of Juneteenth, but when she moved to Dallas, Texas, she learned about the significance of the day because it was celebrated there.
“I’m really happy to see it spreading. I’m glad to see Gary, Indiana, is doing something to celebrate this historic date,” Jackson said.
She said it is good for people to understand the importance of the day and celebrate it.
Daniel agreed. She said her daughter, how lives in Nashville, Tennessee, has been an advocate for recognizing Juneteenth. For the African American community, 1776 is not the day that brought freedom. That day came in 1865.
“The history of it is important,” Daniel said. “Kids these days do not know their history, they do not know their roots.”
Marking Juneteenth with events like the festival in Gary creates an opportunity to pass on the importance of the history to future generations, she said.
Angela Hargro of Gary brought her hand-smithed copper and silver jewelry to the event. She has been crafted jewelry through her business Designs by the Copper Freak for more than 20 years. The 1986 Roosevelt graduate said events like the Juneteenth celebration in the city were needed.
“I think it’s awesome. I love my beautifully dilapidated city. There’s so much talent here,” Hargro said.
Festivals like Juneteenth create an opportunity to showcase the different talents hidden within the city.
“We have so much to give. There are artists of all calibers here,” she said, adding she would like to see the event grow bigger and better each year. Hargro said she likes what Mayor Jerome Prince has been doing with the city and is hopeful more of the amenities like parks are brought back so the youth have someplace to play.
“We all need each other,” she said,
The Anderson sisters — twins Nevaeh and Nivea, 16; Nya, 12 and Nia, 6 — were selling T-shirts they designed by their business DORK, Dedicated Overachieving Responsible Kids. The T-shirt business grew out of their dad’s printing business Anointed Prints in Gary.
Nevaeh said she identifies as a “dork” and wanted to reclaim the word with her sisters in a positive fashion. They have been making their T-Shirts since 2015. Mom and dad Damien and Latisha Anderson said they encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in their children and the girls’ friends.
Latisha Anderson said they let the girls do their thing and stand back and watch.
The Juneteenth event provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the significance of the date.
“It celebrates us as a whole,” she said.