Owensboro Black Expo to host 6th Juneteenth celebration

Jun. 14—The Owensboro Black Expo will host its sixth annual Juneteenth celebration at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 17 at English Park.

The event, which debuted in the city in 2018, celebrates the federal holiday Juneteenth — or Freedom Day — which is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S.

According to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, June 19 marks the anniversary of the arrival of 2,000 Union troops in Galveston Bay, Texas, in 1865 that announced the news of the Emancipation Proclamation — issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln "that all persons held as slaves" within rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free" — which was kept quiet by many slaveholders in the state.

Juneteenth has been called the country's second independence day. While it has been celebrated in the African-American community for years, the holiday remains "largely unknown to most Americans," according to the NMAAHC.

Dominique Maddox, president of the Owensboro Black Expo, said creating the event for the community came about when the organization was setting up its calendar of events in 2018.

"Our goal is always to educate and to let people know about the history and things that are relevant to everyone," she said. "We were looking up festivals and things that we were trying to get a fresh take on (for) something that we've been doing for a long time; (and) we (came) across Juneteenth."

Maddox said Juneteenth is very popular in the southern part of the U.S., especially in Texas, due to the day's origin.

Maddox also saw other places throughout the country recognizing the holiday in their own ways, which sparked an idea to have the organization's traditional outdoor festival follow suit.

For Maddox, it was an opportunity to bring something different and historical that locals may not have been familiar with.

"... I can tell you in all of my years in both public school — going through elementary, middle, high school — and even college, I had never heard of Juneteenth," she said.

Maddox has been pleased with the growth the event has received throughout the years.

"This time of year, we always get really, really excited about Juneteenth," she said. "It's still something that's just new enough that we always still find new people to share the news about Juneteenth and exactly what it is and why we celebrate."

When the first Juneteenth celebration took place locally, Maddox said there was no acknowledgment of Juneteenth in the tri-state area.

"If you do a Google search (now) about Juneteenth activities that are going on, you now have Evansville, you have Henderson," she said. "I think there's celebrations going on in Madisonville."

While the event has previously taken place at Kendall-Perkins Park, Maddox said it needed to move due to ongoing construction at the site.

But Maddox is embracing the new backdrop and scenery.

"You can see the bridge, the water — I mean, sometimes you don't think about all the things that Owensboro has to offer. (With) tradition, you kind of keep doing the same places," she said. "I'm really, really excited about (having it) at English Park. It's a beautiful park."

The event will include a number of exhibitors and vendors, along with live entertainment by local acts No Limits and Londun Randolph. The Evansville-based group BG3 will also perform.

Maddox feels the holiday compasses everyone, regardless of race.

"A lot of people have been like: 'Well, is it just for Black people? Are we the only ones that should celebrate? Is it for everybody?,' " Maddox said, "and my answer is a resounding: 'It's everybody's holiday.'

"Anyone who thinks that the end of slavery wasn't important and a big deal — it is a time of celebration."

The event is sponsored by Boardwalk Pipelines and Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline.

For more information, visit facebook.com/theOwensboroBlackExpo or email owensboroblackexpo@gmail.com.