CULTURAL celebration
The city commemorates and reflects on African American fellowship.
t took over a year and a half after the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, for word to reach the enslaved in Galveston, Texas. Finally, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Grange and 2,000 federal troops arrived on Galveston Island and read the proclamation out loud, demanding the emancipation of slaves. In the following years, a celebration would occur know as “Juneteenth.”
“What I enjoy most about the event is that this is a time to reflect on our [African American] history: Where we’ve been, what we’ve been through, what we have accomplished, and where we are today,” says Terese M. Thomas, Denton Juneteenth committee secretary. “It’s a time of fellowship.”
Juneteenth is celebrated in 26 states and has been an official state holiday in Texas since 1980. More Americans are celebrating the holiday each year, and recognition is growing around the world with festivals and celebrations in foreign locations like Tokyo, Japan, and Kuwait.
The Denton Juneteenth Committee hosts this year’s celebration June 20-21 at Fred Moore Park and expects the number of people at the event to be larger than last year’s, when more than 5,000 attended.
A nighttime gospel extravaganza will start the weekend with performances on Friday. A barbecue cook-off also begins Friday with an entry fee of $25.
For $5, attendees can sample a variety of barbecue from turkey legs to brisket. Prizes will be awarded for Denton’s best barbecue. Friday also ushers in the highly popular “Praise in the Park,” an event that brings many gospel choirs and praise dancers to the celebration. Those who attend are encouraged to get into the spirit and celebrate with singing and dancing.
On Saturday morning, the festivities commence with the annual Juneteenth Parade at 10 a.m. Beginning at the Denton Civic Center, the parade makes its way to Fred Moore Park. The parade includes floats, musicians, and community leaders tossing candy to onlookers.
The Coed Softball Tournament, played on Saturday, brings friendly competition and good food to Fred Moore Park. A variety of soul food, barbecue, snow cones, pickles, and drinks will be available and those who attend are encouraged to take advantage of the entertainment.
The festival ends Saturday night with “Showtime at the Apollo,” a talent show hosted by Harold Jackson. The talent show offers prizes to adults and children in the spirit of the Apollo Theater’s amateur-night contest.
BY JOE WILKINS