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After hiatus, organizers plan bigger Juneteenth celebration this year
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By Michelle Brooks
mbrooks@newstribune.com
After a year's pause, Juneteenth festivities in Jefferson City will resume under new leadership.
Artists, musicians, storytellers, dancers and dignitaries will gather at the Jefferson City Community Center, 608 E. Dunklin St., from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday for the 2008 Juneteenth Heritage Festival, sponsored by the Jefferson City Community Center Association.
“Change Begins With You: Your Vote is Your Voice” will be the theme of the event, which begins with an Emancipation Program at the Soldiers' Memorial Plaza on the Lincoln University campus. A shuttle from the community center begins at 8:20 a.m.
The program will be followed by an Emancipation Walk to the community center grounds, where Curtis Faulkner will speak on the Grande Stag. He's the founding director/producer and national tourism chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation.
Other performances during the day will include Footprints Project Dance Troupe, soloist Maggie George-Murray, Glover Brown and An Evening With Friends Variety Show, Gospel Fest, DJ Rhonda Harper and a Slyde Dance competition.
St. Louis storyteller Pamela Jackson will portray Sojourner Truth, a legendary American abolitionist and women' rights activist.
Jackson is a research instructor and gerontological scientist with Washington University School of Medicine, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. She is a professional speaker and educator in the health field, as well. And she is an entrepreneur, creating Knew AGE Consultants, a health education and disease prevention program for older adults.
The festival also will include a community forum, “What's Happening in the City of Jefferson.”
And Philomina Gwanfogbe will present “Nutrition and You,” and a youth expo.
Vendors and exhibitors will include food, art, clothing, memorabilia, job opportunities, health screenings, games and activities. The highlight will be a Backyard Culinary Cook-off Competition.
The 19th of June recognizes when Union General Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. This was the last major vestige of slavery in the United States following the end of the Civil War, nearly 2 1/2 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Upon hearing General Order #3 from Gen. Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African-American holiday observance, organizers said. Juneteenth is a recognized holiday in 28 states including Missouri.
The Juneteenth Heritage Festival in Jefferson City had been sponsored by the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 2000-2005 and in 2006 by the Citizens for Juneteenth.
The community center association created The Juneteenth Heritage Festival Planning Committee to continue the event.
Organizers desired to ensure Juneteenth would continue because of its growing significance as a worthwhile community event.
Proceeds from the festival will support public and cultural programs at the center and establish a Juneteenth scholarship fund.
Call 893-4191 or e-mail to junethjcca@aol.com for more information.
Artists, musicians, storytellers, dancers and dignitaries will gather at the Jefferson City Community Center, 608 E. Dunklin St., from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday for the 2008 Juneteenth Heritage Festival, sponsored by the Jefferson City Community Center Association.
“Change Begins With You: Your Vote is Your Voice” will be the theme of the event, which begins with an Emancipation Program at the Soldiers' Memorial Plaza on the Lincoln University campus. A shuttle from the community center begins at 8:20 a.m.
The program will be followed by an Emancipation Walk to the community center grounds, where Curtis Faulkner will speak on the Grande Stag. He's the founding director/producer and national tourism chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation.
Other performances during the day will include Footprints Project Dance Troupe, soloist Maggie George-Murray, Glover Brown and An Evening With Friends Variety Show, Gospel Fest, DJ Rhonda Harper and a Slyde Dance competition.
St. Louis storyteller Pamela Jackson will portray Sojourner Truth, a legendary American abolitionist and women' rights activist.
Jackson is a research instructor and gerontological scientist with Washington University School of Medicine, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. She is a professional speaker and educator in the health field, as well. And she is an entrepreneur, creating Knew AGE Consultants, a health education and disease prevention program for older adults.
The festival also will include a community forum, “What's Happening in the City of Jefferson.”
And Philomina Gwanfogbe will present “Nutrition and You,” and a youth expo.
Vendors and exhibitors will include food, art, clothing, memorabilia, job opportunities, health screenings, games and activities. The highlight will be a Backyard Culinary Cook-off Competition.
The 19th of June recognizes when Union General Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. This was the last major vestige of slavery in the United States following the end of the Civil War, nearly 2 1/2 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Upon hearing General Order #3 from Gen. Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African-American holiday observance, organizers said. Juneteenth is a recognized holiday in 28 states including Missouri.
The Juneteenth Heritage Festival in Jefferson City had been sponsored by the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 2000-2005 and in 2006 by the Citizens for Juneteenth.
The community center association created The Juneteenth Heritage Festival Planning Committee to continue the event.
Organizers desired to ensure Juneteenth would continue because of its growing significance as a worthwhile community event.
Proceeds from the festival will support public and cultural programs at the center and establish a Juneteenth scholarship fund.
Call 893-4191 or e-mail to junethjcca@aol.com for more information.
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