 Saturday
June 19th marked the day of Harlem’s Juneteenth celebration
on 116th St. and Lenox. The celebration was fortunately
marked by pleasant weather, of which attendants were grateful
for. Juneteenth is an annual celebration of the late emancipation
of Texas’ slaves. It has bloomed to a celebration
of family unity communal advancement."Every
neighborhood should have this kind of celebration. I come
here for my children. But Juneteenth is a forgotten part
of black history. It could be improved by bringing all people
together from politicians to members of the community,”
said Mohammad. Mohammad’s ideas encompass the span
of Juneteenth’s meaning and imperative. Juneteenth’s
historical significance can further fuel unanimity among
people of all backgrounds.
Juneteenth
began on June 19th 1865 in Texas. Word of the emancipation
Proclamation reached Texas two years after the war was over.
The state holiday spread internationally to become a celebration
of black pride and freedom.
Although
the holiday originated in Texas, it has spread nationwide
and internationally. North Carolina, South Carolina, and
California have many Juneteenth celebrations. Even
Anchorage,
Alaska celebrates Juneteenth. Internationally, Juneteenth
is celebrated in Japan, Germany, Jerusalem and England.
Juneteenth
is nonexclusive to African Americans because its primary
objective is the coming together of all people. But this
can only be achieved through widespread recognition of the
holiday.
Matisha
Posha has been coordinating the event for 10 years. She’s
a vendor that sells African crafts and does fundraising
for schools. “We need to celebrate Juneteenth. It
benefits the community” she says. Sharon Adams and
Almanettin are two other women who attended the event for
its family oriented programs. The two are court employees
at the Guardians Associated. Through their traveling, they
noted that other states have a larger celebration. At this
particular event in Harlem there were 80 people in attendance.
Those
that attended the celebration in Harlem engaged in lighthearted
events. There was a double-dutch contest and performances
including singing, poetry reading and motivational speech.
Two contestants in the double-dutch contest were Corrine
and Aisha. They were twelve-year-old girls from the neighborhood.
“We jump rope a lot. We’re about to compete.”
They said nervously. This contest was one of the appeals
towards young children attending the event.
Adults
sat to watch riveting performances from local entertainers.
Each entertainer brought forth stylistic depictions of the
truth promising messages with their performance. After his
performance, I talked to a rapper, Finsta who was attending
Juneteenth for the first time. Finsta talked about a little
about his rapping career; he usually focuses on politics.
“I rap about the ‘hood and the community and
ways that we can better ourselves.” He then added.
“The best way we can start to better ourselves is
through unity.”
People
can benefit greatly from the celebration of Juneteenth.
The historical significance lay in the spirit of freedom.
The holiday inspires awareness, hope, and harmony. The event
in Harlem showed this through its light-hearted celebration.
Juneteenth encompasses a reminder of the past and a great
promise for the future.
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