St. Mary's Juneteenth Celebration Honors African American Heritage
By Yvonne J. Medley
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, June 26, 2008; SM03
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.
For the younger set, there was a kiddie train that wound through the crowd, a balloon bounce and Reggie Rice, 25, "the Super Magic Man." Rice delighted children and their adult companions, making pencils disappear into his ear and producing fire out of his wallet.
"It's a family atmosphere. Everybody's come to have a good time and just chill, and learn," said retired teacher Eunice Butler of Solomons, a former resident of St. Mary's County.
A solemn moment came when wreaths were laid at the base of the monument by an honor guard representing the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. The wreaths honored Pvt. William H. Barnes and Sgt. James H. Harris, who served with the 38th U.S. Army Colored Troops during the Civil War.
"Out of over 200,000 black men who fought in the Civil War, two of them were from St. Mary's County, and they were former slaves," Mike Brown said.
Gospel choirs from local churches performed throughout the day.
"My wife, Ann, sings in the St. Peter's [Claver] Gospel Choir," said St. Mary's County Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D-Great Mills). In addressing the crowd huddled under one of two huge tents, he said, "We're on a road where a man [and] a woman's color or religious beliefs doesn't matter. We've made a lot of progress."
As the evening light faded, audience members sprang from their seats to dance and sing along with the celebration's closing act, Shang. The Washington-based jazz vocalist seemed delighted by the response and fueled by the crowd's energy.
"Boy! You folks in St. Mary's County sure know how to party!" she said at the end of a song.
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