Juneteenth celebrates freedom, community
CANTON − Monday marks 158 years since Union soldiers enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas and two years since it became a federal holiday.
Events were held around Stark County this weekend to celebrate Juneteenth. They included the Juneteenth Committee's annual community festival at Nimisilla Park in Canton and the city of Alliance's parade and festival at Maple Beach Park.
They featured food, local vendors and family activities, but the significance behind the celebration was reason enough for people to come together as a community.
Celebrating freedom
Corine Marie, who was raised in Canton and lives in North Canton, staffed a booth in Nimisilla Park to sell her first novel and inspirational love story, "A Small Piece of Her Heart." She said she enjoys supporting other local business owners and receiving support.
Juneteenth to Marie is a source of empowerment and inspiration to reach her full potential.
"We have so much inside of us that we freely get to put on display," Marie said.
Her husband Lucas Tindell also described Juneteenth as a "celebration of freedom" ― the freedom to provide for one's family and community and "live out the American dream."
Eve Fontes, president of Umpteen Rounds Elite Force, provided security for the Canton event. She said mental and physical freedom is powerful and worth celebrating. The annual gathering is a chance for people to come together in love and catch up with one another.
"It's almost like a big family reunion," Fontes said.
Celebrating community
Chris Jennings, a Canton resident and U.S. Air Force veteran, said he's glad to see Juneteenth becoming more widely understood and recognized. Such events are a chance for the community to come together and potentially help with "bridging the gap" between the police and Black residents. He said it's also a time to reflect on the nation's history and where we are now.
"I think it should be celebrated," Jennings said.
Sean Strong, who led an Xtreme Hip Hop session at the park, said he really only researched Juneteenth in recent years but now recognizes the importance of commemorating it. Through his work with community partners and his nonprofit Strong Family Wellness, he promotes health and wellness in traditionally underserved areas.
Skyler Parks, director of business development and growth at the Stark County Minority Business Association, and his wife Monique Parks attended the Canton festival in matching T-shirts. Gold lettering on a black background read: "Free-ish, Juneteenth, since 1865."
Juneteenth is a celebration of community, camaraderie, history and culture that everyone should embrace, Skyler Parks said. It's a chance to consider how far we've come and work to do better by supporting local organizations and Black-owned businesses, he added.
"Just continue to do the work every day," he said.
Pattie Dorosky, a lifelong Canton resident at the festival to represent SSIP Insurance Partners, said she recently purchased a shirt that summarizes her feelings about Juneteenth. It states, "We the people. I meant all the people."
"We got to be in this together," she said.
Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn Twitter: @kbyerREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Juneteenth celebrates freedom, community
