The Winston County Voters League will again celebrate Juneteenth on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at Dean Park. Local entertainers, music, Line Dancing, games for children and cake walks are some of the featured activities.
Door prizes will be awarded hourly, but you must be present to win. Door prize tickets are free and affords an opportunity to win gifts from local businesses. Raffle tickets are currently being sold. A $1 donation provides a chance to win $100, $75 or $50; you don’t have to be present to win the raffle.
The choices of foods presented at the Juneteenth Day Celebration are limited only by the imagination of the vendors; there will be vendors selling their wares, COVID-19 vaccine information and NAACP-WIN will distribute baby diapers, face masks, and personal care items for women.
On June 17, 2021, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was signed by President Joe Biden, certifying the day, Juneteenth, as a federal holiday.
Juneteenth, a blending of the words June and nineteen, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865, that Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, rode into Galveston, Texas. He brought news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free.
Juneteenth has often been overlooked by non-Black Americans and omitted from history books; however, freedom from slavery was a cause for celebration and all sorts of activities were started and continue as traditions across the nation today. Juneteenth focuses on education, self-improvement and exercising your right to vote.
Claudell Weaver initiated the Juneteenth Day Celebration in Louisville. It was during her Winston County Voters League presidency that Juneteenth was celebrated in June 1984, on the Voters League grounds at 307 Vance Street. During the presidency of Calvin Hampton, the Juneteenth Celebration was moved to Dean Park, on HWY 15 South, where it continued to be celebrated and promoted as a fun-filled family day. The celebration continued for consecutive years until 2014 when it was cancelled, due to damages to Dean Park caused by the tornado. The Juneteenth Celebration sponsored by the Voters League was also cancelled in 2020 and 2021, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The Winston County Voters League mission is: Voter Education, Voter Registration and Voter Participation (Get-out-to Vote).
“Despite certifying Juneteenth as a federal holiday, African Americans continue to face challenges that are systemic such as housing discrimination, disproportionate incarceration, education inequities, redistricting that dilute the Black votes and health disparities. Substantive action is still needed, but this certification is a step in the right direction,” Carolyn R. Hampton, Interim President Winston County Voters League.
