Mary Florence and Linda Petty sat beneath a yellow and blue awning Saturday afternoon, trying to stay cool between selling straw hats and grilling hog snouts, during the 16th annual Juneteenth Festival.
For many who gathered at Sim Scott Park, the event was part homecoming and part history lesson — a celebration of family and freedom. In its early years, the festival only drew around 1,000 people, but now more than 10,000 attend, said Leroy Brooks, of the Afro-American Culture Organization, which coordinates the three-day event.
Juneteenth celebrations, which are held around the nation, date back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought word to Texans the Civil War was over, letting slaves know they were free — and had been free for two years following President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
But Florence and Petty had family on their minds Saturday. They and their brother, the late Douglas O’Neal, grew up on Seventh Avenue North and Juneteenth has always been a cherished tradition for the siblings.
Though Florence lives in Mary Esther, Fla., she makes the six-hour drive every year, just to attend. Petty is a member of the planning committee.
As the sun blazed high in the sky and children rode bicycles and chased one another across the park, the two recalled their own childhoods and the closeness they felt with their neighbors on Seventh Avenue.
There were no strangers, Florence said. Everyone looked after everyone.
“We were poor, but we didn’t even know we were poor. We just had a good time,” she said.
Lorenzo Witherspoon was another Columbus native, who has since moved away, but brought his wife and children Saturday for their first Juneteenth.
Witherspoon, who graduated from Caldwell High School in 1989, lives in Houston, Texas now, but he wanted to begin a tradition of attending the celebration, and this seemed like a good year to start.
He and his wife, Sonya, were among 20 venders dotted around the park, selling their wares. He sells photographs, and she makes incense and candles.
Coming home reminded him of the trajectory his life has taken. He went to Texas to chart his path in the world and now he’s doing well. He has a business of his own, and he and his wife have three children, Darius, 12; J.T., 5; and Rashard, 6-months-old.
“I came from a place of not having a lot to becoming a person having a lot,” he said. “You learn from it and try to bring it home.”
When mentoring young people, he tells them to stay focused and get a good education, because the values they learn now will serve them well, wherever life leads them.
“They’re so hungry,” Witherspoon said. “Kids go to the big city to make it. When I got to the big city, I stood out. You work harder.”
Unlike their parents, many of the children wandering the park Saturday didn’t have a firm grasp on the meaning behind the festivities. It’s hard for them to imagine a world where a person would not be free, based solely upon skin color.
Columbus Middle School students Kanesha Hodges and Keasha Griffin, both 13, agreed Juneteenth was a time for everyone to get together and enjoy themselves, but they weren’t sure why, until Griffin called for backup from a friend.
“Something dealing with slaves,” she said, triumphantly, responding to a question about the origins of Juneteenth.
Ward 5 City Councilman Kabir Karriem was tending a steaming vat of oil Saturday, frying up catfish as he manned a booth for his mother’s restaurant, Helen’s Kitchen.
He said he hopes people will learn a little history, while enjoying the food, music and fellowship of Juneteenth.
“It’s putting the purpose in the party,” he said. “It has historical significance. I think sometimes we get caught up in calling it African-American history, but it’s American history. We all need to embrace each other’s culture. That’s how we make a better community.”
As far as ways to improve the local Juneteenth celebration, most people had only minor quibbles, from better parking control to bigger name musicians and more activities for children.
Brooks said a greater emphasis on youth activities is on the agenda for next year’s festival, and they hope to get more people involved in the committee.
“I like the camaraderie, the fellowship,” he said. “I just love seeing people come together.”
This year’s festival was sponsored by the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, which gave $14,000 for the event; Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority, Triangle Federal Credit Union, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle and Mitchell Distributing.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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