By Edward Henderson
Social media has changed the way we communicate and receive news in astronomical fashion. If something happens, we are aware of it almost simultaneously. In 1863 when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation however, there wasn’t a Twitter update or Facebook alert that could inform slaves that they were free. In fact, slaves in Texas weren’t notified about their freedom until June 19th 1865, nearly two and a half years after they were legally emancipated. To commemorate this event, the Juneteenth tradition began where communities would gather, eat well, uplift each other and celebrate the news arriving of the slave’s freedom. On Friday, June 17th, the George L. Stevens Senior Center kept this tradition alive while hosting their 24th annual Juneteenth celebration.
Nearly 200 people were in attendance for the festivities at the center which featured live music, informational booths and traditional Juneteenth cuisine including ribs and home grown collard greens.
“Juneteenth is the equivalent of the 4th of July to African Americans,” said executive director Rosemary Pope. “It’s a beautiful day because more people are learning about its tradition.”
The 15 informational and resource tables were installed to help the seniors improve the quality of their lives alongside the festivities. Blood pressure screenings, fitness programs, social security and pre-diabetes classes were among the informational tables present.
Jeanette Alessio-Way aka ‘The History Lady’ had a table set up of displaying the classic black memorabilia she’s collected during her 22 years of teaching history in the community and around the country. Her collection includes slave shackles and cleaning tools, dolls, saddles and examples of inventions African Americans created that are often overlooked.
“History repeats itself. If you don’t get it right the first time it happens over and over again. Until we have enough understanding to let people have pride in what they’ve done, the world will never be a better place,” said Alessio-Way. “We all have something that we need to celebrate and Juneteenth is a great example. It’s a day of pride and celebration to me.”
The folklore surrounding Juneteenth is intriguing. There is a popular story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of the slave’s freedom, explaining the two year delay. Other theories recount that the news was deliberately withheld by slave owners to maintain the labor force and federal troops waited for slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition.
Many of the seniors in attendance last Friday were Texas natives and took visible pride in continuing the tradition in San Diego.
“We played such a pivotal role in the creation of the US,” said Pope. “It makes you so proud of who you are. We have such a rich legacy and history. Slavery was degrading to us, but we can supersede anything that was done to us.”
