Independence Day won’t come until July, but in the meantime a special celebration of freedom is planned in downtown Mount Airy next Saturday in the form of a Juneteenth event.
It will feature live music, soul food and artistic displays in the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District located between Franklin and West Oak streets. Saturday’s activities are scheduled from noon to 11 p.m., including a program highlighting the importance of the occasion.
Juneteenth — a merger of the June 19 date falling on that day — is observed annually around the nation to commemorate the end of slavery. It specifically refers to a June 19, 1865 announcement that abolished the practice in Texas — the most-remote of the slave-holding states — in the wake of the Confederacy’s collapse.
The late leader of a local group once referred to Juneteenth as “a celebration of the human spirit” to be enjoyed by folks of all persuasions, and Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison says this is true of next Saturday’s event.
“There should not be a ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality around race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation or any other difference here,” explained Morrison, who is associated with the Mount Airy Downtown Inc. group. “We are proud to celebrate how far we have come together.”
Morrison pointed out Friday that Mount Airy Downtown is proud to program the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District with regular arts events that welcome everyone — which also will be the case with the Juneteenth street festival. It was organized with the help of volunteers Dougenna Williams Hill and Santana Revels.
“It is important that we celebrate our wonderfully diverse community,” Morrison added. “All are welcome to come enjoy Juneteenth in downtown Mount Airy.”
Array of activities
A lineup of about 20 artists and vendors specializing in a variety of mediums and products including baked goods is to be part of the Juneteenth gathering.
Of particular note will be the presence of the Wutyasay Soul Food Truck.
The artists and Wutyasay Soul Food Truck will be set up by noon for the occasion, with the shops and breweries on Market Street to also be open.
Music by Lois Atkinson and Aquarius Moon is slated to begin at 5 p.m. in Melva’s Alley in the festival area and last until 9 p.m.
A brief program is scheduled around 4 p.m. in Melva’s Alley featuring guest speaker Nancy Bowman Williams, the president of the J.J. Jones Alumni Association made up of students attending a former all-black campus in Mount Airy.
Williams will address the significance and history of Juneteenth in celebrating the freeing of the nation’s enslaved people.
Also planned is a reading of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and a toast of traditional red drinks that are being donated by Hampton Inn of Mount Airy.
The red drinks aspect relates to two beverages carried across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa by slaves, hibiscus and cola.
“We should acknowledge our nation’s history, the good and the bad, and the painful role it can sometimes still play in our lives today,” Morrison advised. She quoted a late poet, Audre Lorde: “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.”
“We are brothers and sisters first,” the Main Street coordinator commented.
“We all call this place home and it is so good to see so many people feeling welcome and accepted for who they are on Market Street — the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District will continue to celebrate the many differences and commonalities that bring us together.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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