“And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
Those words were written by President Abraham Lincoln in the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. That executive order effectively ended slavery in the United States, but it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 when Texas officially abolished slavery.
This date is celebrated in the black community as Juneteenth, and a local group of activists are holding a party this Friday to celebrate.
We spoke with Elijah Ashbeck and Kayla Whiteley who explained the holiday is traditionally celebrated with “Festivities, and people get together and celebrate the culture and heritage of African Americans, and also learn education and self-improvement.”
As for how it will be celebrated in Manitowoc, Whitely said there will be a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, and a pair of speakers. “After that, there is going to be a voting booth, information on Loving Day (which celebrates interracial marriage), information on Juneteenth, and stations where you can get strawberry soda, which is one of the staples of Juneteenth.”
Elijah explained why the group wanted to bring this celebration into Manitowoc, saying “I know Juneteenth is not a very publicized event. We just want to bring awareness about this. It’s pretty much the second independence day that is not very celebrated in this country.”
While this is the same core group of people that put on the Community BBQ a few weeks ago, they are expanding, adding more new members all the time. They have also branched out, including the Rahr West Art Museum into their planning.
Elijah told SeehaferNews.com, “We’re trying to work with this community, and make our views and our opinions known and the black culture issues.”
The Juneteenth Commemoration will be taking place in Washington Park starting at 4:00 PM. This event is being put on by the Lakeshore is United Visionaries, which can be contacted via their Facebook or Instagram pages.
