Education spreads Juneteenth message

Knowledge of Juneteenth's 1865 origin is on the rise, and local groups are doing their part to teach more people about its significance.

By ADRIENNE P. SAMUELS
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 17, 2002

It took two years for word of the Emancipation Proclamation to get to the far reaches of the United States. It took 120 more years from that date, June 19, 1865, for word of this Independence Day for African-Americans to begin to reach public consciousness.

Fast forward to Pinellas County 2002, where several local communities are gearing up to educate others about the day now known as "Juneteenth."

They are part of a growing effort that historians call a new cultural trend.

The unincorporated neighborhood of Ridgecrest, residents of St. Petersburg and a tiny library branch in Clearwater join hundreds of organizations nationwide that are recognizing the anniversary this week.

"You have the Fourth of July, but (African Americans) were not really involved in that," said Randolph Lightfoot, president of the Pinellas County African American History Museum. "(Juneteenth) is something that's really our celebration."

Lightfoot referred to the day in 1865 when federal troops marched to the last outpost of slavery in the Confederate states, Galveston, Texas, bringing word of freedom. Juneteenth was born.

It's not a comfortable coffee-table topic, celebrators say, but it is necessary.

"Guess what, folks? It happened. So what do you do to bring it forward?" said Lula Briggs Galloway, president of the Michigan-based National Association of Juneteenth Lineage. "You can't tiptoe through the tulips about our history. You have to have dialogue. Within that dialogue, you have to give it how it happened."

Organizers are starting with children.

On Wednesday, the North Greenwood branch of the Clearwater Library is inviting children to learn about "Addy," a character in the American Girls line of historical fiction books for children. Addy grew up in the 1860s.

"During the program we'll talk about her daily life, what was going on," said Marlene Mitchell, branch manager.

The 2 p.m. program includes games and crafts of that time period. It will be led by Dr. Lorraine Mayfield-Brown, a professor at the University of South Florida.

"I think the children learn more when you tie it all together with something fun," Mitchell said.

A national movement is under way to include Juneteenth in school history books. The day is already officially recognized as a paid holiday in Texas and in 1997 was recognized by the Clinton administration as African-American Independence Day.

But Juneteenth needs to be a part of the national public consciousness, said Barbara Price, a lead organizer for the Juneteenth celebration in Ridgecrest Park, 12000 Ulmerton Road.

"It could be taught even in kindergarten," Price said. "It's not too early to start teaching a child."

Ridgecrest's celebration is slated for Saturday, while St. Petersburg's main celebration was this past Saturday. In St. Petersburg, the celebration continued Sunday with a gospel extravaganza and ends Wednesday night with a candlelight vigil at Vinoy Park.

Though knowledge of Juneteenth is on the rise, event organizers find it hard to single-handedly educate the entire community. This is Ridgecrest's sixth annual celebration, but participation over the years hasn't significantly gone up, keeping the numbers of attendees between 300 and 500.

Word of mouth is the primary carrier of the message of Juneteenth. After that, organizers say, the community has to move beyond a celebration and into contemplation and rehabilitation.

First, people of all races should study the combined history of all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., said James Feazell Sr., creator of the Black History Program at Largo, Osceola and Gibbs high schools and the main speaker for the Ridgecrest event.

"The Emancipation Proclamation didn't free all slaves," Feazell said. "It freed those under the South's control, but not in the North. Eventually it caught on to other southern states. . . . People need to know this."

Part of that story includes the reason why Juneteenth hasn't had a large-scale celebration for nearly 120 years. The 1865 party stopped soon after it started because of lynching and laws making it illegal for black people to have public gatherings. A brief Juneteenth revival in the 1960s was stopped short because of Civil Rights issues.

That changed in the 1980s, when race relations calmed down and people could spend more time researching their history, said Briggs Galloway of the Juneteenth Lineage association.

People 30 and under seem to be the most interested in Juneteenth, she added. No matter the race, she said, they react the same way.

"They're saying, "How come this was never taught to us in school?' " said Briggs Galloway. "They're saying, "We're going to do something about this.' "

Feazell's Juneteenth speech is his way of "doing something." He will discuss economic, spiritual and political freedom. He also plans to remind attendees of roles played by nonblacks.

"We celebrate people of heart, not just black folks," Feazell said. "Abolitionists gave their lives. We're appreciating people of all color."

The festival includes a demonstration of the new touch-screen voting machines. Children can listen to the speech and eat kid-friendly foods, and adults can win prizes ranging from grocery gift certificates to dinner for two. Local neighborhood talent will also perform.

Pinellas County Commissioner Calvin Harris looks forward to a time when no one has to explain Juneteenth.

"People don't talk about it a lot because everybody's focus is on the Emancipation Proclamation," Harris said. "When you talk about American history, give the full history."

Above all, celebrators say, Juneteenth should encourage the local community to research black history year-round, not just during February's Black History Month celebrations.

"This is just a little piece of the pie," said Price, part of the Ridgecrest team. "It's a time to come together as a community, as family, as friends and let each one know what we have accomplished."

-- Adrienne Samuels can be reached at (727) 445-4157 or samuels@sptimes.com.

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