Orange, Chatham Counties Plan Juneteenth Celebrations

Sunday is June 19, a day that has been celebrated as Juneteenth since 1865. It was on that day that soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas bringing the news of the emancipation proclamation to one of the furthest reaches of the former confederacy.

“And on that day,” said Michelle Wright of Chatham Organizing for Racial Equity, “it is said that they put on their best clothes, that they celebrated, that there was joyous noise in the air. So, what we want to do is acknowledge that there were people who suffered and then came to this moment of freedom and really were able to celebrate and move forward.”

With Juneteenth being formally recognized as a federal holiday on June 17 of last year, this is the first year many towns have planned robust Juneteenth events.

“Of course whenever we get something turned into a federal holiday, it becomes much more known because we get off work,” Wright said. “But, I know lots of families and communities that have been celebrating Juneteenth for a long time. We’ve seen this rise in celebration that has really come from multiple movements throughout communities of color.”

Reverend Robert Campbell spoke to Chapelboro about the Chapel Hill–Carrboro Juneteenth event.

“Why is this so important?” said Campbell, “Because we need to celebrate the opportunity of the hope that we are free. We are able to pursue our dreams and be creative and become productive people within our society.”

The Chapel Hill–Carrboro Juneteenth event is at the Haregraves Community Center on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“Hopefully it will entail some history and tell what Juneteenth is all about,” Campbell said. “But, at the same time showcase some of the talent of the people that live and work in and around Chapel Hill and Carrboro.”

Hillsborough is hosting an event at the courthouse at 2 p.m. Saturday to vacate convictions of civil rights activists from 1947. On Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., there is a Juneteenth event at the Presbyterian Church. Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Renée Price helped plan the event.

“On Saturday we’ll have something called ‘Say Their Names,’” Price said. “We’ll talk about an art exhibit that Don Young, Mike Ogle, Fred Joyner, and I worked on last year last year. We will also be recognizing Dorothy Shankland as well as Reverend William Richardson.”

In Chatham County, the celebration begins at the Chatham County Fairgrounds on Friday night at 7 p.m.

“Friday night we have our first spades competition and family game night,” Wright said. “Then, on Saturday at the Chatham County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. we have our main event. It is an amazing lineup of performances. We will have drum lines from Ben L. Smith high school in Greensboro. We will have a live band performing, New Band on the Block. Our keynote is going to be Dasan Ahanu, who is a poet and activist in North Carolina.”

The event will also have food trucks and a black business expo.

Featured Photo via AP Photo/John Minchillo

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Orange, Chatham Counties Plan Juneteenth Celebrations

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