Organizers hope that an expanded Juneteenth 2019 celebration from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in downtown Columbus will attract a larger crowd of people.
For an enjoyable time, of course, but for another reason, too.
They also aim to use the annual, free gathering to build awareness and to educate people a bit more about the background of Juneteenth. The event serves as a reminder of slavery’s official end.
The day was first celebrated in 1865, when Texas became the final Confederate state to free its slaves, three years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Olisa Humes is president of the Bartholomew County Area Chapter of the NAACP. She was disappointed with last year’s crowd of perhaps 100 people, since the organization moved the event downtown for increased visibility and interaction with diners, shoppers and others. Earlier Juneteenth celebrations locally held at places such as Ninth Street Park and Donner Park drew crowds of nearly 200 people.
Humes’ idea is that people can listen to live music and a disc jockey, enjoy food, fellowship and other offerings and still appreciate the day’s significant underpinnings.
Since the day began being marked locally in 2001, NAACP members have said that they see Juneteenth partly as a way to celebrate diversity in general and black culture in particular. Some years in the past, a religious observance and a musical celebration were conducted on separate days of the same weekend as the larger overall event.
“We expanded the hours just to give the community more of a chance to experience Juneteenth,” Humes said.
At press time, Humes still was finalizing some of the entertainment. But popular Columbus singer-songwriter Zoe Tucker, who was a hit at the recent Columbus Pride Festival, is already scheduled to perform. She frequently presents a mix of original material and cover tunes.
Columbus Regional Hospital is expected to host something of a mini health fair amid the event.
Humes also is working to have a community choir on hand, and various placards highlighting various aspects of Juneteenth placed along the street.
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What: The Bartholomew County Area Chapter of the NAACP’s annual presentation of Juneteenth, marking the official end of slavery.
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: The east end of Fourth Street in downtown Columbus.
Admission: Free.
Information: Facebook page for NAACP Columbus/Bartholomew
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