CHEYENNE — Dozens of community members of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds came together Saturday for the annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration in Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
As the sun was shining down, people could be seen barbecuing, grabbing a snow cone, getting their faces painted and stopping by vendor booths.
Although the federal holiday was on Thursday, Mercedes Brooks-Hunt, the Cheyenne NAACP president, said they pushed their event back due to having another event on June 19 at the Wyoming State Museum. That program was part of the Civic Season series, talking about Black leaders throughout the state.
Saturday’s event was mostly self-led, with cornhole boards set up in the grass and a bounce house for kids to jump in. But there were also scheduled speeches that began around 11 a.m., and interactive games like a cake walk and dodgeball tournament that began around noon.
Other ways they celebrated the occasion included having Salem Meadows-Fernandez read the poem “We Rose” by Kristina Kay, and hosting the Essie Curtis Rockwell Gospel Singing group from Wellington, Colorado.
Rita Watson speaks about history during the Juneteenth event at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Saturday in Cheyenne. The annual event commemorates the date in 1865 that people in Texas learned that slavery was a thing of the past in the United States.
When Rita Watson, a member of Cheyenne NAACP, got up to speak, she talked about what Juneteenth is, how it began and significant symbols of Juneteenth, such as red foods.
“Juneteenth is a time for reflection on the ongoing struggle for equality,” said Watson. “And the Juneteenth flag represents the American flag, and acts as a reminder that slaves and their descendants were and are American. The design depicts a new star, a new freedom, a new people.”
Juneteenth is also referred to as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day. It commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom from slavery and the end of the Civil War. Celebrations broke out among newly freed Black people, and Juneteenth was created.
This news came to Texas more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, which declared all slaves to be free.
In June 2021, Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday by Congress, and signed into law by former President Joe Biden. On Saturday, after reading a poem by Langston Hughes, Gov. Mark Gordon read a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth in the state Wyoming.
Watson and Gordon also noted in their speeches that Juneteenth is the oldest regular United States celebration of the end of slavery. In Cheyenne, it’s been celebrated for more than 50 years in the community.
“While Juneteenth doesn’t eliminate structural racism in America, recognizing it as a federal holiday is a crucial step toward bringing the rich history of Black Americans into the center,” said Watson. “We have to stay aware of the fact that so much legislation is purposefully designed and being passed to prevent the teaching of this history.
“This year, several cities have had to cut back on Juneteenth celebrations. … I agree with those who say if anything deserves to be celebrated as a holiday, it’s the end of the evil practice of slavery in America. You can’t cancel the truth, you can’t cancel history.”
Before this year’s event, members of Cheyenne NAACP had some concerns raised to them from members of the community about whether Juneteenth was still happening this year or not.
“I think the concern was because of the DEI situation and (President Donald Trump) not wanting to recognize this as still being a holiday,” said Brooks-Hunt. “So, I think a lot of people thought we weren’t going to, but (we were always going to have it).”
Cheyenne NAACP puts on the event year after year to celebrate African Americans in the community and around the country, as well as educate people of other ethnicities and cultures on what Juneteenth means to the Black community. Despite initial concerns, this year was no different.
Alyssa Kirkland, a local mother, said it makes her happy to pass down Juneteenth to her kids, but also “kind of nervous.”
“There’s so many people that are 50/50 right now, (but that’s why events like this are important),” said Kirkland.
LaKeisha Henry, another community member in attendance, said, “Juneteenth means freedom. It’s good to have a day to ourselves that’s finally worth it, and we can feel appreciated.”
