Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Coming together, reflecting on freedom

The 16th annual Juneteenth Family Festival offers something for everyone - and everyone a welcome.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published June 17, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - At 58, Isaac McLemore never heard of the holiday known as Juneteenth until he moved here three weeks ago.

But that didn't stop him from getting involved in Saturday's celebration where, as an impromptu carnival barker, he goaded passers-by to the dunk tank.

"Step up and dunk the white guy!" he shouted, having convinced friend Alan Minto to be a good sport and sit on the tank.

"Come on. This is Juneteenth. Liberation!"

A teenage girl went up, chucked a few balls, but missed each time. Then, with a grin, she ran to the target, punched the lever and sent Minto splashing into 4 feet of water.

"This is a great opportunity to bring everyone together, " McLemore said later, patting Minto on the back. "I should have known about it a long time ago."

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when word of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Galveston, Texas, setting free the last slaves.

It was 2 1/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln's executive order ending slavery in the South and about two months after the end of the Civil War.

The day is now officially recognized in two dozen states, including Florida, and for years supporters have campaigned to make it a national holiday. Saturday's event at Campbell Park, 601 14th St. S, was the city's 16th annual Juneteenth Family Festival.

"This is our Fourth of July, " said Faye Dowdell, 57, the event coordinator. "It's our freedom day. It's a day to reflect back on how far we've come."

This was Dowdell's first time organizing the festivities, and, standing in the middle of the park, she said she wanted to have something for everyone: games, food, music, health screenings, a job fair and booths with information about different social services.

"Everybody is welcome here, " she said. "There is a lot of widespread ignorance about Juneteenth, and I think it's because we have been celebrating in-house so much, among ourselves."

Janeen Martin, 35 and a pharmacist, came to check people's blood pressure and answer questions about various drugs. A native New Yorker, she moved to Florida 11 years ago and began celebrating Juneteenth about five years later.

"It's good for the community for us all to come together for at least one day a year, " she said.

Jacob H. Fries can be reached at jfries@sptimes.com or 727 893-8872.

[Last modified June 16, 2007, 23:10:00]