Pine Bluff celebrates Juneteenth
The city of Pine Bluff held its annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday afternoon at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The event featured vendors, food trucks and storytelling, as well as music and dance by the Juneteenth Community Choir.
The event was coordinated by Mary Liddell; master of ceremonies Kim Jones Sneed, who is the founder and publisher of Stuff in the Bluff; and Jordan Sims, youth advocate and host of “The Introduction Podcast.”
Juneteenth is commonly celebrated on the third Saturday in June and will be commemorated as a federal holiday for the third year in a row on Monday.
It celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his Union soldiers set out to spread the news that the Civil War was over and to inform the enslaved of their freedom in Galveston, Texas.
On Friday, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared June 17 as Juneteenth Independence Day in Arkansas.
The celebration in Pine Bluff included many vendors from across Arkansas, as well as live music and spoken word performances from many members of the community.
Lanette Frazier, city council member for Ward 3, was in attendance with her jewelry company Paparazzi.
“For us as Black folks, knowing that we are free is very important,” Frazier said. “I can only imagine the feeling our ancestors felt knowing that through all this time, they could have been free. It’s a very important thing and I am so grateful they have made it a national holiday.”
Spoken word was an important part of the day’s events.
“My question is to you, my young Black brothers, will you withstand the test of time and
stand up and make a difference in this world, like Malcolm, Martin and Douglass? Or will you settle for being their puppet?” Pashu’ar Grissom asked the audience.
Erikka Johnson, principal in the Pulaski County Special School District, sang a hymn.
“I chose to sing ‘Lift Every Voice’ because it was written for the affirmation and liberation of Blacks,” Johnson said. “It is a song of empowerment, not just for the Black community, but for anybody, because we also celebrate the freedom of what Jesus did for us on the cross.”
Dylan Mayo shared with the audience the history of Juneteenth.
“Juneteenth to me is recognizing what we should have already been awarded, which is freedom,” Mayo said. “It signifies that I need to recognize what my ancestors went through and acknowledge that something I already have is because of what they gave. Every time I celebrate Juneteenth, I think about how grateful I am that I am able to be free.”
Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday in all 50 states. At least 22 states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth as a permanent paid or legal holiday.