FAYETTEVILLE — Mayor Molly Rawn on Saturday declared June 19-20 as “Juneteenth Weekend” in the city during the 30th annual NWA Juneteenth Celebration held downtown.

“Juneteenth stands as a powerful reminder that freedom delayed is freedom denied and that the pursuit of liberty, justice and opportunity requires both courage and action,” Rawn told the crowd gathered in the Upper Ramble. “Juneteenth commemorates the end of enslavement in the United States and the resilience, perseverance and immeasurable contributions of African Americans who have helped shape our communities, our culture and our nation.”

President Abraham Lincoln issued the initial version of the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves free in Confederate territory, on Sept. 22, 1862, but it could not be enforced in many places until after the Confederacy surrendered in the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued an order in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation there, and the last of the enslaved people were freed.

While Juneteenth has been celebrated in one place or another for decades, it wasn’t until June 17, 2021, that President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday.

Rawn said Saturday she is proud of Fayetteville, which she said was the first city in the state to officially recognize Juneteenth as a holiday in 2019, two years before it became a federal holiday. She then read aloud a proclamation declaring it Juneteenth weekend in the city.

Several booths set up by small businesses and local organizations lined the sidewalk Saturday with food being offered to attendees of the celebration as well. Police officers played basketball with children. People ate, did activities at booths and danced to the music playing from a nearby stage.

Kirby Gwen, the Walmart U.S. broadcast manager, and AnReckez Daniels, assistant director of the Multicultural Center at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville were the event emcees.

Raymond House delivered the official Juneteenth proclamation originally delivered by Granger in 1865. He asked the audience to not only reflect on the words themselves, but to think of those who heard it for the first time.

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States — all slaves are free,” House read. “This involves an absolute equality of personal rights, rights for property between former masters and slaves and the connection, heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired labor. Freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present home and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collective military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness, either there or elsewhere.”

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Chancellor Charles Robinson said he recognizes Juneteenth as one of the many days in which African Americans learned freedom was a possibility. Frederick Douglass said in 1857 that no progress happens without struggle, and it is the struggle that made Juneteenth possible, Robinson said.

“I can assure you that at the University of Arkansas, we are aligned with recognizing that the struggle continues, and that we will continue to work so that every member of our community has access to the American dream and access to equal opportunity,” Robinson said. “We will not be satisfied until that freedom is something that every person who’s associated with us has an opportunity to experience.”

Raven Cook, the city’s arts and culture director, said she’s been participating in the Juneteenth celebration for years before she was with the city. The event is something that’s always been important to her and her family, she said.

The most important thing about the event is awareness of the history of different communities, Cook said. Although Juneteenth originally began in Texas, there was a large push to celebrate it all over the country and make people aware of the ways people overcame, she said.

The event also provides shared community in times it’s needed most, she added.

Deiondra Jenkins, owner of Jenks Crochet, said this was her first time at the event as she manned her booth showcasing her crocheted creations. She said in a time where there’s a lot of negativity in the world, it’s vital for people, especially Black people, to come together and celebrate.

Jenkins said she lives in Little Rock, and people there can be wary of the demographic makeup of Northwest Arkansas, so it’s encouraging to see an event like this exist in the region. She said the mayor declaring the weekend as Juneteenth Weekend is monumental and shows there’s an actual push toward equality and unity in the city.

JUNETEENTH IN DA ROCK

The 17th annual Juneteenth in Da Rock festival was held Saturday in Little Rock, featuring live music, a mechanical bull and — for the first time — a crowning ceremony recognizing residents for community service and upholding the ideals of Juneteenth.

As the country’s 250th anniversary approaches, Key Fletcher, director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, said the holiday helps to put that milestone in context.

“Arkansas didn’t have statehood at that time,” Fletcher said, referring to the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. “African Americans weren’t free. So for us, it’s even more important because we have to pull from history that’s a bit further down the line in terms of what freedom looks like.”

She said she hopes the festival is viewed as being for everyone.

“While it is a holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery for African Americans, Juneteenth is a celebration for all of us,” she said.

“It’s a way that all Americans can take part in the celebratory experience of freedom.”

Hosted by the Mosaic Templars center, the festival on Ninth Street had over 150 vendors lined up along the block and attendees crowding the streets.

Music, food trucks and an adult bar were all key parts of the celebration, which kicked off with a 5k run at 7 a.m. One part of the street was dedicated to children, featuring the mechanical bull, a rock wall and glitter tattoo artists.

Exhibits in the cultural center offered information about Juneteenth and Arkansas’ Black history. One addition was a “Living History” exhibit showing videos of Black Arkansans who made an impact on the nation.

“It’s about ensuring our youth, our young adults and everyone in Little Rock understand all history, that we don’t allow others to revive that history,” Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said in an interview after addressing the crowd.

Ian Morrison, treasurer for the Mosaic Templar center’s board, introduced the newly established Juneteenth Crown and Cultural Court on stage around noon, with the pageant winners standing behind him.

The winners included Mr. Juneteenth Derrick Billingsley, Miss Juneteenth Denver Brooks, Junior Mr. Juneteenth Keithan Green, Junior Miss Juneteenth India Smith and outstanding community leader Alyssa Joseph.

The winners were chosen by the board for outstanding community service and representing the ideals of Juneteenth, Morrison said.

“These individuals have worked very hard. You will see them all throughout Juneteenth and the events that we have, not just now, but throughout the entire year as they represent the importance of representing our culture,” he added.

Rikkae Gill, 43, a lifelong Little Rock resident, said she makes it a point to attend the festival every year.

“We love to see it, everybody is just celebrating freedom.” Gill said. “That’s what it’s all about here, spreading the good news about now.”

She said it’s important to see how far the Black community has come.

“We are free to make decisions, to help people in need and hopefully lead a peaceful life,” she said.

Carl Thomas, 53, of Searcy said he was attending for the first time.

“It’s nice to see people celebrating without fighting each other.” he said, “Freedom and togetherness, that’s it.”

Rose Shaw, 75, who traveled from Sherwood with her cousin, said it was her first time as well.

“The amount of people is just great,” she said. “It’s a little hot, but it doesn’t seem to bother nobody.”

Jada Robison can be reached by email at jrobison@nwaonline.com. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette writer Mary Lyle contributed to this report.