Washington county officials, residents come together for city Juneteenth celebration
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Duane Johnson of Canonsburg carries dinner plates during the Juneteenth celebration held at Washington High School on Saturday.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Rahmiere Knight, left, enjoys a meal at the Juneteenth celebration hosted by Black Lives Matter Washington on Saturday at the Washington High School parking lot.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Black Lives Matter Washington, with Center for Coalfield Justice, held a Juneteenth celebration at Washington High School.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Bob Adkins, dean of admission at Washington & Jefferson College, flips burgers at the BLM Washington Juneteenth celebration on Saturday.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Breanna Grimm, 8, right, looks on as Amora Rios, 3, of Canonsburg, twirls a hula hoop on her arm at a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Juneteenth celebration at Washington High School included an information booth.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Zhiere Patmon, left, and Uriah Rajkumar, play corn hole during Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration at Washington High School.
Two days after Juneteenth was officially declared a federal holiday, Black Lives Matter Washington celebrated Black lives, and the spirit of activism, at an event held in the Washington High School parking lot.
Kierra King, one of the event’s organizers and a founder of BLM Washington, said the Juneteenth celebration offered an opportunity for Black Americans to recognize and honor the history and importance of the holiday.
“We’re celebrating Juneteenth and the end of slavery in the United States, and we’re out here, hopefully, trying to educate the community about its significance,” said King, wearing a T-shirt that read, “Been tired. 1619-today.”
Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 – nearly two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation – an event which is widely recognized as the official end of slavery.
Late last week, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that made Juneteenth a national holiday.
The Juneteenth bash, which included free admission and food, also featured music, informational booths and a Black History Month project completed by Washington Junior High School students that featured artwork, poems, poster boards, maps and other works honoring the contributions of distinguished local African Americans.
Kurt Adkins of Washington, one of the organizers and a BLM Washington founder, said, “Washington has faced a lot of tragedies this year, and we thought it would be important to give the community an opportunity to come together and simply celebrate.”
Like King, Adkins said he wasn’t aware of the significance of Juneteenth when he was younger.
“When I learned of the holiday, it jump-started my hunger for more knowledge of Black history,” said Adkins. “There are so many significant events we do not talk about that happened in this country’s past that range from being amazing to horrific. I’m a firm believer that we should be taught those things, and everything in between.”
Alana Morris, of Canonsburg, brought her three-year-old daughter Amora Rios to the celebration.
“I was really excited and really happy about (the Juneteenth celebration),” said Morris. “Living in a predominantly white community, there’s really not that much education whenever it comes to Black history and celebrating Black accomplishments and celebrating Black lives, for my brother and his friends to be able to put this together just to inform the public and educate them on the importance of Juneteenth and the importance of our freedom and the importance of our lives, it means a lot.”
Danielle Grimm of Canonsburg brought her 8-year-old daughter, Breanna, to the event in order to be a part of the celebration and to acknowledge the struggles and efforts of previous generations.
“I’m glad people are coming out to celebrate the day, especially with Juneteenth just being signed into law,” said Grimm.
King said she hadn’t really known about Juneteenth until she attended Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University, she graduated from in May. Since then, she and her family have observed the day.
Morris believes Juneteenth celebrations can unify diverse races during a time of political polarization.
“I think it helps bring us together, to know that we may have different skin tones, but we are all equal,” said Morris. “This is one of the steps that we need to take to get to finally have racial equality. It definitely opens us up for dialogue, so if there is any misunderstandings or miscommunication, I think it makes conversations more comfortable.”
Center for Coalfield Justice, a nonprofit organization, helped to underwrite the event.