![]() ![]() Two months after the end of the Civil War and over two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freedom had not reached slaves in Texas, as local leaders and slave owners did not abide by Lincoln’s directive until they were forced to. “I always thought, ‘Well, why didn’t my mother and my grandmother teach me about this?’ And that’s because they weren’t taught about it.” The history of Juneteenth “We had a meeting the other day, and there were some older people there that said that they just learned about Juneteenth,” Burns added. “I didn’t learn about Juneteenth until I was 30. “Juneteenth is an example of how freedom was delayed for for Black people, and, with what happened in my case, education was delayed for me,” he said. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, gave a presentation at a church. He was introduced to it over 10 years ago when State Rep. “And with the city now making it a holiday, I’m hoping those who have that holiday will take that time to learn about it share it with their families.”īurns said he also didn’t learn about Juneteenth during his years in Florida’s public school system. “I think because of the current political climate it is that much more important for us to have Juneteenth celebrations because it gives us the opportunity to help educate people about the significance and the importance of Juneteenth,” he said. Orlando Commissioner Bakari Burns said he hopes the move by the city raises awareness about Juneteenth and, perhaps, will incline those who may not know its history to seek it out. “Look at these kids, I didn’t know about Juneteenth when I was there age. “I think it’s outstanding what the city is doing,” he said, motioning to a group of children huddled nearby. He did say education is what he believes will ultimately move the state and the country forward. Johnson, who is a manager in the city’s Water Reclamation Division, said he doesn’t believe Florida is unsafe for the average Black person. carrying supplies for the day’s celebration. On Saturday morning he sat on a bench in a pavilion near the parking lot, waiting out the rain. Last year Orlando city commissioners in a unanimous vote officially recognized Juneteenth as a holiday, giving thousands of workers a paid day-off.ĭaron Johnson, a 56-year-old veteran of the U.S. He said the laws passed by DeSantis that are, in part, aimed at reading materials in public schools is “not a good sign.” He added that he hopes the public education system in Florida emphasizes its importance, as the federal and many state governments have. “When my kids started talking about it, I got interested and did some research and that’s how I got to know about. “I didn’t know really anything about it I went to public schools and I’m a graduate of the University of Florida,” Covington said. He said he came to the park on Saturday because he wanted to celebrate Juneteenth and, especially, so the children of the church could get to know the significance of the holiday through a day of fun and excitement.Ĭovington, who works as a lawyer in Oviedo, said he didn’t learn about Juneteenth until six years ago, when his children came home from Trinity Preparatory School and talked about what they had learned that day in history class. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, for which he is a youth minister. Tony Covington, 59, stood inside a pavilion watching the rain and chatted with some members of the Mt. “This is a very intentional part of our effort - to educate, we want everyone, children included, to know what Juneteenth is and why it’s important.” ![]() “It’s an important historic marker that a lot of people don’t event know about,” Goodwin said. Inside of them were reading materials about Juneteenth, including a booklet for children, featuring drawing and word games related to the history and origin of the holiday. There were dozens of drawstring bags that were ready to be handed out. Marcia Goodwin, the director of community affairs for the city of Orlando, said it’s unfortunate this year’s festival had to be shut down, citing the many hours of labor by the Juneteenth planning committee as well as local community members, vendors and volunteers.įorty vendors signed up for Saturday, many of them being Black-owned businesses and non-profits, though businesses of all kinds signed up through the city website, Goodwin said. Juneteenth - a combination of June and nineteenth - commemorates the date in 1865 when, months after the end of the Civil War and years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the last of the southern Black slaves in the United States learned they were free. ![]()
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