Juneteenth to be celebrated locally beginning this weekend

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Jun. 11—Alabama will celebrate Juneteenth for the first time as an official state holiday with several local events planned starting this weekend.
Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law May 8 to make Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery, a permanent state holiday. President Joe Biden made it a federal holiday in 2021. Ivey has declared Juneteenth a state holiday in the past using her executive power.
"Governor Ivey just put her stamp on making this a state holiday, which gives credence to what should have taken place over 100 years ago, in 1865, when the Emancipation Proclamation first freed all of our slaves," said Limestone County NAACP President Wilbert Woodruff.
Juneteenth, a combination of the words "June" and "nineteenth," marks the day when slaves in Texas learned of their freedom. This came 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Most of the festivities in north Alabama will take place the weekend before the holiday, on Saturday and Sunday. Events vary from celebratory and jubilant to educational.
The Morgan County NAACP will hold its fifth annual Juneteenth Parade and Gala on Saturday. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. in downtown Decatur and end in A.C. Banks Park with a picnic.
Later that day, the Juneteenth Gala will be held at The Cotton Gin. Tickets are required. The dress code will be African attire this year, instead of the usual Black Tie.
Morgan County NAACP President Rodney Gordon said the holiday commemorates freedom in a different way than the Fourth of July.
"(Juneteenth) is a tradition that was found. It was discovered," Gordon said.
Historian Peggy Allen Towns said celebration of the holiday extends back further than most people realize: to 1866.
Towns will give a presentation at noon on June 18 at the Decatur Public Library. During that time, she will share how Juneteenth originated and explain its traditions. For example, Towns said eating red foods, like red velvet cake or red punch, symbolize the strength and sacrifices made in the past.
"We didn't just arrive here; it took the faith of so, so many people to bring us this far," Towns said. "Of course, me, loving history, I think we need to know our history so we can stand mighty in the stories that are told, and in the struggles, and the sacrifices that people have made."
Also in Decatur, New Way Out will host a Juneteenth celebration starting at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Cashin Wheeler Park. It will include live entertainment, food, activities and fireworks.
Standing in Power co-founder Terrance R. Adkins said the social justice group will participate in all the Juneteenth celebrations held in Decatur. They will be present at the events held by the NAACP and New Way Out.
"Being an American descendant of slavery, it's very important that we honor our ancestors," Adkins said.
Limestone County NAACP President Wilbert Woodruff said Juneteenth is a chance to remember the suppression that Black people have faced in the country, but it's also a chance to come together to create a better future.
"The only way to heal the wound is to address it, look at it, expose it and then move forward," Woodruff said. "... We should recognize the things that happened in our past — don't let them shape us but recognize them — and move forward accordingly."
The Limestone NAACP won't hold its own Juneteenth event this year but will support behind a festival hosted by Preserving Diversity in America. Woodruff said partnering with Preserving Diversity means residents can find everything in one location, rather than spreading celebrations out. Lifesouth will collect blood donations, and the NAACP will help with voter registration, just as they've done at past Juneteenth events.
Sharon Waddle founded the Athens-based Preserving Diversity group three years ago. She said the festival has a theme of Family Reunion: The Strength of the Community.
"My primary focus of starting this group is for cultures to embrace each other and be familiar with each other," Waddle said.
The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Swan Creek Park and Athens Middle School. It will feature music, dancers, performers, speakers and a hair expo honoring master barbers from Limestone County. Around 50 food and business vendors will also be present.
The multicultural festival will include speeches about Juneteenth, Russian dancers, and a gospel pavilion, to name a few performances.
"We're trying to offer something for everybody," Waddle said.
The inaugural Limestone County Juneteenth Celebration Invitational Rodeo will be held June 21 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Limestone County Sheriff's Rodeo Arena. Admission is $20 in advance and $25 on site.
In Huntsville, the city's Office of Multicultural Affairs and Amazon will present the annual Juneteenth Festival, an evening filled with performances, fireworks and hands-on STEAM activities.
The free, family-friendly event, which runs from 5-9 p.m. at Big Spring Park, will be headlined by the electro-funk-hop soul band Element XI. The Huntsville Community Drumline will open the event.
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