Juneteenth to be celebrated at Mt. Calvary COGIC
MACOMB — The second annual Juneteenth celebration will be held at Mt. Calvary Church of God in Christ at 1500 E. Pierce St., in Macomb on Saturday, June 18 from 12 to 4 p.m. This year's theme is “Family – Unity – Community.”
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. It became a federal holiday last year, which will be publicly observed on Monday, June 20. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years earlier, it was on June 19, 1865 that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned that the war had ended, and that they were free citizens.
Belinda Carr, past Director of the Gwendolyn Brooke Cultural Center at Western Illinois University (WIU), and the current lead organizer of the Juneteenth Committee, said the celebration started in Macomb in Chandler Park around 2002.
The committee also includes members Adrienne Graham, Pierre Graham, Chairman Barnett, Parelee Brown, Verneata Jones, and Val Johnson.
“We saw we needed to have an activity in the summer that would bring students and the community together,” she said. “People from all over west central Illinois, and even people from beyond there, such as Danville, Chicago, and Springfield, would come to our celebration as very few cities in Illinois celebrated Juneteenth. We were the first in west central Illinois, and have had great community support.”
Carr retired from WIU in 2014. She said that until last year, there was not a Juneteenth celebration in the area. Mt Calvary Church with Pastor Freddie Starling and Assistant Pastor Allen Henderson have been willing to host it indefinitely.
The celebration is free to the public, and will have raffle prizes, food sampling, entertainment such as poetry, gymnastics, gospel choir, and other singers. WIU's president, Guiyou Huang, Norine Hammond, and Mayor Inman will be there to give remarks.
“There will be free food: jerk chicken and rice, fish and spaghetti, hot dogs and chips … something for everyone. These are typical foods you'd find at a Juneteenth celebration. It's a wonderful opportunity for the residents of McDonough County to come together and celebrate as well as others throughout the state,” she said.
There will also be a lot of children's activities, including sack races for ages three years up to adults, a cake walk, face painting, free haircuts and other activities will be available. There will be at least 13 vendor tables that will be giving out information on services in the area.
“Think of it as a 'mini Heritage Days,' ” she said. “It's our 'Fourth of July.' We invite everyone in the community to fellowship with one another. Given the climate of our country today being divisive, this is an event that brings together as well as creates awareness and education. It brings people together that maybe wouldn't ordinarily come together.”
Community members share their thoughts on Juneteenth
The Voice asked several members of the Black community in Macomb to share what Juneteenth means to them.
Earl Bracey, J.D., is a Schultz Foundation Board Member and former Associate Vice President of Student Services at Western Illinois University. He said that “Juneteenth brought the reality of slavery to the forefront. Recognizing people are human beings, not animals, and they should be given the same dignity and respect.”
Adrienne Graham, First Grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary and local author, said Juneteenth is “an important celebration of freedom for Americans. … It's our true independence day to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation being signed and a celebration where we can celebrate being free and our community coming together.”
Allen Henderson, Assistant Pastor at Mt. Calvary Church of God in Christ, gave a personal reflection. “For me it is a time to reflect on a time in history when all seemed lost, but we as a people prevailed,” he said.
This article originally appeared on The McDonough County Voice: Juneteenth celebration in McDonough County
