Event Blends History With Family Fun

St. Mary's Juneteenth Celebration Honors African American Heritage

The Juneteenth celebration unfolded Saturday in St. Mary's County at the base of the African American Monument in Lexington Park.

Organizers of the fifth annual event said the monument reflects the grass-roots origins of the celebration, which is staged in Freedom Park.

"To have Juneteenth at the site of the African American Monument is very important, and we want to recognize that African American history is important to everybody," said Mike Brown, director of the event and a member of the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions, the principal organizer of the free celebration.

The monument "was put together with individual hands. No mass production of anything," said Brown's father, Elmer Brown, 75, who founded St. Mary's Juneteenth celebration.

More than 2,200 people took in the history, exhibits, entertainment and food, food, food at the event.

Juneteenth, celebrated nationwide, originated as a commemoration of June 19, the day in 1865 that word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached slaves in Galveston, Tex.

Exhibitors on Saturday offered information and services from local businesses, churches and community groups. The Health Connections van from St. Mary's Hospital provided blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings and information on healthy lifestyles.

"We've seen about 85 to 90 people," said Jennifer Grury, a health educator with Health Connections. Grury and colleague Linda Valenteen also distributed packets to the men who stopped at the van, noting that June is Men's Health Month.

Entertainers included Hip Hop and Gospel Go Go, steppers and dancers, along with traditional gospel, R&B and jazz artists. Sterlen Barr from Philadelphia, better known as No Puff Daddy, performed before a crowd that packed the park's auditorium. His stage name refers to his anti-smoking message.

African Americans' service to the United States was recognized in exhibits on the Buffalo Soldiers of the Old West and the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.

"These men and women were incredible, and I don't think that our youth realize that fact," said Frederico J. Talley, dean of the College of Southern Maryland's Leonardtown campus. The college was one of the event's sponsors.

Children populated the celebration, including on the various stages. Anthony Brent, a student at Great Mills High School, received a $300 check for winning the Juneteenth essay contest. Lakea Stewart, also a Great Mills student, recited a poem she had written, "Dad Why." She attended the celebration with her two brothers, five sisters and her mother, Janice Stewart.