Spartanburg Juneteenth celebrations 2023: Here's what's happening
More than 150 years ago, a big celebration started with people filling the streets in the heart of downtown Spartanburg.
The celebration was held because Black families had received word that they were no longer enslaved because of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.
And on Saturday, June 10, residents are going to honor the event by holding a Jubilee Parade in honor of Juneteenth. The parade will be held at 10 a.m. starting at the parking lot of Cornerstone Baptist Church, located at 700 S. Converse St., and will end at Barksdale Boulevard in Spartanburg. A picnic will follow the parade.
"We are going to have the parade in the area where they marched," said Brenda Lee Pryce, one of the event organizers. "We are trying to educate the community because many people don't know what happened in their communities."
Downtown Spartanburg Emancipation celebration filled streets more than 150 years ago
Information about Spartanburg’s first celebration of Emancipation was uncovered by Andrew Myers, professor of American Studies at the University of South Carolina Upstate. He learned about the event while transcribing the handwritten diary and personal letters of Union Army Capt. Norris Crossman, commander of the first federal occupation forces. The letters and diary are at the S.C. Historical Society in Charleston.
Myers is writing a book about the end of the Civil War and the start of Reconstruction in the Upcountry.
The first Juneteenth Jubilee Parade started at what is now Morgan Square. Myers said the blue-coated soldiers marched through the streets behind a U.S. flag that had been pieced together by a local Freedwoman. It is said she cut red flannel from her petticoat to make the stripes. Myers said her husband, who led a group of Black Baptists, carried the banner as he walked beside Crossman at the head of the column. The parade took place on Sept. 22, 1865, and ended with a picnic.
“Emancipation in South Carolina was done on a place-by-place basis,” Myers said. “The order was issued at Hilton Head during June, but no one reached Spartanburg to enforce it until August. That is why it took so long to have a parade.”
The flag was given to Crossman. He handed it down to one of his daughters, who moved to California. It was then lost for almost 50 years. With the help of Crossman’s great-grandson, Myers located it at the Whittier Museum and verified its identity.
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Flag from Spartanburg's first Emancipation celebration returns to the city
The flag was returned to Spartanburg in 2015 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the parade. It has undergone restoration and is on permanent display at the Spartanburg County Headquarters Public Library.
"This is such a window in time to put these pieces together," said Brad Steinecke, assistant director of Local History at Spartanburg County Public Libraries. "We first had the flag on loan from the museum, but when it arrived, (county librarian) Todd Stephens said, 'There is no way this flag is going back to California.' "
Steinecke said the library purchased the flag. He also was able to talk to Crossman's great-grandson who talked about the flag.
"He remembered his grandmother bringing this old flag to school and talking about it," Steinecke said. "He died a few years ago.
Pryce is honored to have the flag in Spartanburg and to learn about its history.
Hattie's House, Southside Scoop and Brown Girls Read along with other community members partnered together to commemorate this celebration with the community.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. The celebrations started when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news on June 19, 1865, that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free.
The parade and picnic are among several local events to celebrate Juneteenth. Here are some other activities:
Spartanburg's Juneteenth events include revival, business expo, block party
Spartanburg Juneteenth starts its annual celebration at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 11, with The Official Juneteenth Revival, hosted at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, 502 S. Daniel Morgan Ave. Guest preacher will be Charles Goodman and musical guest Bishop Cortez Vaughn.
Also on Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m., there will be a Black Business Expo at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church featuring various black businesses.
The Official Juneteenth Race Seminar will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14 at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. This year the book "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together" by Heather McGhee will be discussed. Books will be given out and a buffet served.
The Official Juneteenth Black Excellence Community Gala honors black professional leaders in the business and nonprofit sectors. The gala will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 17 at the Chapman Cultural Center, 200 E. St. John St. Spartanburg. Award winners will receive grants. The gala also will feature musical guest Avery Wilson.
The City of Spartanburg has a lineup of Juneteenth events, starting with Reclaiming Spartanburg's Black History Educational Panel at Wofford College. The event is from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 18 at the college at 429 N Church St. in the Olin Teaching Theater.
The next event from the City of Spartanburg is the Block Party from 6-10 p.m. on Friday, June 16 at the Love Where You Live Park on South Spring Street. The celebration includes music, food trucks, and a 360 photo booth.
On Saturday, June 17 from 4-10 p.m., the Celebration Festival will be held near the Love Where You Live Park. The celebration will include food, live performances, local vendors and a kid's zone.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg's Juneteenth events celebrate emancipation
