Staunton and Waynesboro celebrate Juneteenth with weekend festivals and advocacy speakers
Two localities celebrated Juneteenth on Saturday at the Frontier Culture Museum and Pavilion Constitutional Park. It was neither organizations' first time recognizing the event, but this year it hit a little different.
This year was the first time in American history Juneteenth was recognized as a national holiday after President Joe Biden signed legislation Thursday.
Festivities began in Staunton around 9 a.m. at the Frontier Culture Museum with food vendors, music, prayer and more. The event kicked off with a welcome from Sheila Ahmadi, who gave a brief history of Juneteenth.
Although, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863, it took years to ripple through America given that some areas were still under control of the Confederate army. It wasn't until June 19, 1865, when the union arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to announce the freedom of slaves in the state that Juneteenth was established as a moment of freedom in history for African Americans.
Ahmadi encouraged people to research history for themselves.
"It's incumbent upon each of us to not take what someone says but to be able to know yourself," Ahmadi said.
Her words were followed by Rev. Dr. Edward Scott, who led a prayer recognizing the trials and tribulations of African Americans in history while looking forward to justice and prosperity in the future.
Charlé Johnson from the Valley Children's Advocacy Center connected the works that her organization does with the importance of Juneteenth. The advocacy center works with children who have experienced trauma to make the healing and accountability process easier. Johnson said they know trauma is happening inside Black children's lives too, but they only get a handful of children of color to help.
Johnson urged the community to reflect on Black trauma and how it impacts children, and urged people to work toward breaking generational trauma.
Former Staunton Vice Mayor Ophie Kier also spoke about generational progress and pitfalls for African AmericanS in the United States, referencing voting rights. He pointed out that Staunton City Council member Brenda Mead was the only council member that had come out for the start of the festival.
"She is the only representative that I see here. That speaks volumes to me, and it should speak volumes to you," Kier said.
Mead said recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday was a long awaited.
"It is not so much a celebration but a commemoration, and I am pleased to see folks out here," Mead said.
It's important to be present at events like Juneteenth because the people organizing the events and celebrating are part of our community, Mead said.
The Juneteenth celebration in Waynesboro was organized by Women of Empowerment formed by Andrea Jackson, Alisha Jackson, Malika Muse and Kayla Ross at the Farmers Market Pavilion at Constitutional Park.
The event was set up with games, food and music, but several speakers took the stage before the fun began.
Rev. Roosevelt Miller led the crowd in prayer, recognizing Juneteenth, expressing gratitude for those who came and blessed the food.
Participants lined up for dinner and snacks while others sat down to play games near by. Later on, locals joined in to dance to music in celebration.
— Ayano Nagaishi (she/her) is the Social Justice Watchdog Reporter at The News Leader. She has an international background, having lived in London, Belgium, Germany, Japan and more. Her passion for journalism stems from these experiences. Contact Ayano at email@example.com and follow her on Twitter at @yanonaga98.