What: Potluck picnic celebration of 150th anniversary of “Juneteenth.”
Where: Marshall Community Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 20.
Cost: Free.
Informaation: www.facebook.com/VancouverNAACP
Nothing goes better with freedom than historical perspective, hope for the future — and a little sweet potato pie.
Here’s what’s new at this year’s third annual Juneteenth celebration and potluck picnic, set for the afternoon of June 20 in Vancouver: a sweet potato pie-baking contest and a discussion of black lives in this age of upset over law enforcement.
“Black lives matter — because all lives matter,” is the theme of a talk to be presented by Debra Jenkins, professor of early childhood education and psychology at Clark College. Among Jenkins’ many areas of specialty is the study of power, inequality and diversity in the workforce and in underrepresented communities.
The Juneteenth celebration will also include a talent show, fly-fishing lessons, local craft vendors and a Texas-style barbecue.
What is “Juneteenth”? It’s a mashup of “June 19th,” the date in 1865 when the very last slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas, by Union Gen. Gordon Granger. That was three years after President Abraham Lincoln had freed slaves throughout the Confederacy with his Emancipation Proclamation. It was also months after the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned slavery throughout the nation — and months after the Civil War had ended.
But Texas refused to comply with the ban until Granger showed up, backed by 2,000 federal troops. That makes June 19, 1865, the real end of slavery in America, according to the Rev. Marva Edwards of the Vancouver NAACP.
There is no federal Juneteenth holiday, but 43 states have adopted Juneteenth as a state holiday. Texas was the first, in 1980. Washington state made it an observance in 2007.
The local Juneteenth celebration, sponsored by the Vancouver NAACP, is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Vancouver’s Marshall Community Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd. It’ll be an outdoor potluck event, so bring chairs and blankets, as well as a dish to share. The event is free to all. To sign up for the baking contest or talent show, or to learn more about the event and the local NAACP, visit the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VancouverNAACP.
