Fremont NAACP's luncheon start of busy week of Juneteenth commemorations

NAACP Unit 3127B Wednesday at the Sandusky County YMCA was the first event of the Juneteenth weeklong celebration that wraps up Sunday.

The luncheon was a powerful tribute, featuring a reenactment of Black leaders and their inspiring life stories.

Reenactors provide education about historic figures

Markus Finnley portrayed James T. Rapier, a social justice activist, while George Tucker Jr. portrayed Robert Brown Elliott, an American politician. Other portrayals were of Richard Harvey Cain, a U.S. representative, played by Aaron Nelson; and Pamela Kindle, the first Black lawyer in Ohio, portrayed John Langston.

“The luncheon was a truly enlightening experience," Kindle said, "offering a unique opportunity to delve into the rich history of African-American leaders and that you want to be treated the way you treat yourself.”

Each reenactor was asked different questions, and each issue was addressed. The actors spoke about their personal struggles and the harsh realities of life in their characters' times.

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Actors stayed in character during event

Each actor remained in character throughout the luncheon, and Nelson, as Langston, said, “We are enjoying the cool air coming from the ceiling,” pointing out that John Langston was born in 1825 and died in 1887.

Cassandrea Tucker, president of the Fremont NAACP, said, “There is so much to celebrate, and we can’t celebrate everything in one day. So, we are celebrating who we are throughout the week, and maybe someone can’t make one event but can make the other events. This is to let people know about our history.

Other events this week include a scavenger hunt Thursday at Birchard Public Library and Spiegel Grove; a baseball game at Rodger Young Park; a freedom festival Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at Birchard Park, and community worship Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Fremont Amphitheater.

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“I was looking at different events across the country, and some have week-long events," Tucker said. "Since this fell in the middle of the week, I wanted to fill everyone's plates with a different thing and different events to learn about who we are as African Americans.”

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Fremont Juneteenth luncheon reenactors open history to guests