Juneteenth Freedom Day
to be celebrated Saturday

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Area residents are invited to join a traditional African-American celebration this weekend that has its origins in the American Civil War.

A Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration, sponsored by the Gallup NAACP and the Gallup Performing Arts Center, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, at GPAC, 1500 S. 2nd St. The event will feature African drum music and storytelling by Brian and Camile Dodson of Albuquerque, historical information about the celebration, a Juneteenth styled barbecue meal, and an inflatable jumper for children.

Juneteenth, which originated in Texas, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union troops landed in Galveston, Texas, and announced the belated news — news that had been withheld from slaves in Texas — that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was now law and slavery had ended. The date of June 19 became known as Juneteenth in Texas, and African-American communities in the state began to establish annual Juneteenth Freedom Day celebrations to mark the anniversary. The celebration has since spread to many other African-American communities across the U.S.

This is the second time Juneteenth has been observed in Gallup, said Mona Frazier, the president of the Gallup NAACP. Two years ago, the local organization sponsored a celebration in Ford Canyon Park and invited modern-day Buffalo Soldiers to be the featured guests.

This year the celebration is being co-sponsored with GPAC as part of an effort to promote multi-cultural events in Gallup, Frazier explained. “We want it to be a family oriented project,” she said, “and have everybody come out and have some fun.”

According to Frazier, NAACP members will participate in Saturday morning’s Lions Club Parade in downtown Gallup as a way to promote the Juneteenth event. During the celebration, someone will read the Emancipation Proclamation and provide historical information about Juneteenth. As a fund-raiser, NAACP members will also sell plates of traditional Juneteenth holiday food — a barbecue or hot dog plate served with potato salad, slice of watermelon, and a strawberry soda.

Admission to the Juneteenth celebration is free, and the public is invited to attend.