Juneteenth: Bringing history to life
The music pulsed and people cheered, shouted and had a good time during most of Saturday's Juneteenth Festival at Zinn Park. The silence that fell over the crowd as several men performed a drama reminding festival-goers about the miseries of slavery was a stark contrast. “It was very quiet,” festival organizer Ruby Evans said. “We made a great impression, I think.” Evans, a long-time Anniston educator, said her most proud moment of the day was when she overheard one child ask his parents, “Is that what it was really like?” Educating children and reminding adults is exactly why Evans and other event organizers have been working for months to plan Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the day when the last slaves in Texas got word of the Emancipation Proclamation. “You can stand and talk all day, but if you dramatize it, it will stick with them,” Evans said. Vendors lined the sidewalks in the park selling products ranging from funnel cakes and snow cones to sunglasses and DVDs. The thump of the music on the stage sent vibrations throughout the park. For several churches and non-profit groups, the event was an opportunity to get their messages out. Anniston resident Gayle McClellan hoped a little bit of face time with the children might draw a few more into the Head Start Program. “They may sign up and say 'I saw Miss Gayle at Juneteenth and she said I should come,'” she said. For other festival-goers, the day was a chance to kick back, enjoy the music, and visit with friends. |
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Some were old acquaintances who had driven some distance to enjoy the day's festivities. Several people said they had seen people they knew from Talladega, Gadsden, Huntsville, Sylacauga, Birmingham and Atlanta. Ebony Jordan, who drove from Birmingham for the festival, said everyone seemed to be having a good time while keeping the celebration's purpose in mind. Jordan said she liked the way the announcers made a point of explaining the history behind the event, especially to the children. “If their parents explain it to them and they listen, I think they will get the meaning behind it,” Jordan said. “It's not just a party, it's a celebration of what we've been through.” Gaynell Powell of Munford said she's been coming to Anniston's Juneteenth festival for years. Her favorite part, she said, was seeing the young people show off their talents through dance and song. This year seemed different, but in a good way, she said. Powell said she noticed a beefed-up law-enforcement presence and thought it was helping to maintain a safe atmosphere. Last year, off-duty police officers and deputies had to break up some fights, and there were reports of counterfeit money being used at the vendor stands. This year, police reported no such problems. At the festival's close at 7 p.m. Saturday, an Anniston police shift supervisor said there had been no arrests and police had not heard any reports of fights. “People are acting like they have some sense,” Powell said.
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