Juneteenth celebration teaches people to remember history, work for change
♦ The overarching message was vote to change, protest peacefully and remember history — even if it’s painful.
As the sun set over the crowd in East Rome, people cheered and listened to the overarching message of why Juneteenth matters.
With a smattering of families social distancing in their yards, people parked along the street and in the parking lot to listen to speakers Rev. Terrell Shields and Rev. Carey Ingram as well as Charles Smith, Shonna Bailey, Veronica Watkins and Chloe Garth-Fielder.
Topics varied, but the overarching message was vote to change, protest peacefully and remember history, even if it’s painful.
Two booths were set up for voter registration and information on the 2020 Census.
The event opened with a performance by Sylvia Shields of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Watkins and Garth-Fielder talked about the importance of Juneteenth and why it should be celebrated. The latter also talked about recent events and how people shouldn’t let them get swept under the rug.
“We need to speak out, we need to speak up and we need to be forthright as to who we are, what we represent and not to take anything lying down,” Garth-Fielder said.
Shields talked about a biblical story from the Book of Numbers, when the Israelites went to claim the promised land and they were faced with giants. He compared the story to recent events across the nation by saying “there are some giants, but we can go up and possess the land.”
Multiple speakers also praised Rome Police Chief Denise Downer-McKinney for her work as a law enforcement officer and stated she was an example of a good cop.
“I came to tell you Black lives matter!” Ingram said during his speech. “We live in one of the most blessed communities when it comes to patrolling!”
A Brief History of Juneteenth
June 19, 1865 is the day all slaves were officially freed in the United States, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Upon Union troops arriving in Galveston, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.”
The Civil War had been over for two months when news of freedom reached the 250,000 slaves in Galveston, Texas.
Celebrations have typically included parades, barbecues, concerts and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, but this year’s local celebration is more about education than celebration.
Shields said this will be the first of many and that next year’s celebration will have a “barbecue and the whole nine yards with fireworks at the end.”