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South Center Street closed to traffic June 13 for Juneteenth
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Published: June 9, 2009
The 12th annual celebration of the ending of slavery, Juneteenth, is slated for June 13 in "The Flat, " the 500 block of South Center Street.
South Center Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Bell Street to Garfield Street from noon to 8 p.m.
Juneteenth celebrates the freedom of more than 250,000 slaves at the close of the Civil War. The holiday is based on events that occurred mainly in Texas but is now celebrated nationwide. The celebration takes its name from June 19, 1865, the day federal troops arrived in Galveston to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, a full 2 1/2 years after the Proclamation had been signed on January 1, 1863.
The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
The local celebration will present a variety of entertainment and informative topics that should be of interest to the Statesville community.
The highlight of the day is a Juneteenth reenactment of that celebrated freedom announcement. Voices of Harmony, praise dancers from Chestnut Grove Baptist Church and other groups will provide entertainment throughout the day, and DJ "Dr. Reid" will be on the scene to fill in any down time.
Vendors will be hawking a variety of food and assorted wares. A vending location can be acquired for $25. A vendor application must be completed and returned to an IMPACT member by no later than Wednesday, June 10.
IMPACT, Inc., W.H.E.E.L. and the Statesville Branch NAACP are among the coalition of community organizations planning this event. Interested persons should contact Seifullah El-Amin (704/872-4785), Cortez Spann (704/873-8247) or Woody Woodard (704/880-8961).
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