Celebrate with us! Sewickley Community Center Juneteenth Festival - June 18, 2022 - 12 - 6 pm ET
Juneteenth is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery. The village of Sewickley and its surrounding communities played a vital part in the migration of former slaves to the North—this migration helped the area to richly prosper resulting in the uniquely diverse and culturally thriving community that we live in today.
We invite you to become a part of this growing and evolving Sewickley tradition. It will be a full day of fun for the entire family that includes kids activities, local vendors and artists, a variety of food options, opportunities to purchase unique merchandise, great music to end the celebration and of course the opportunity to learn about the unique, deep-rooted history of the communities that make up the Sewickley Valley.
AGENDA FOR THE DAY:
(Subject to Change)
12:00 - Opening Welcome
12:30p-1p Gospel/Triumph Baptist
1:15p-1:45p Anthony (Poet)
12p-2p Ebony The Urban Farmer. She’ll have a booth. Give lessons in farming
Storyteller (Cynthia). Will have a booth or walk around speaking stories of history.
2:00p-2:45p Ibeji Drum Ensemble (featuring Sister Bea)
2:30p-3:15p 2022 Best Church “Pound Cake Dessert” Contest🍰
3:00p-3:45p Sierra Sellers & Band
3:45-4:30p Livefromthecity (featuring Jordan Howard)
4:30-5:30 The Flow Band
Check out some additional information below:
History of Juneteenth
The history of Juneteenth can be traced all the way back to June 19th of 1865. This is when the Union Army, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that all former slaves were now free. Although President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, slavery hadn’t ended in Texas because there weren’t enough Union soldiers in the state to enforce the new order. However, the sound defeat of General Lee in April of that year and the arrival of the Union soldiers under Granger strengthened the forces sufficiently enough to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
On June 19th, 1865, Major General Granger read General Order Number 3 to the people of Texas. This order stated: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.” Reaction to this order by the former slaves was as varied as you could imagine. Some of the slaves stayed on under their former masters in a working capacity, while others left immediately after the order was read. Some of the headed North and others head to other parts of the South looking for family members they may have been separated. As more and more families united, they remembered fondly the day they acquired their freedom and began to celebrate it as Juneteenth. The day gained further prominence during the Civil Rights Movement.
Learn more of the history by viewing this video.
Thanks for learning.
