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Event honors Juneteenth
The event celebrates freedom and promotes a sense of community.
YOUNGSTOWN — Nowadays, word travels as fast as people can text or as quickly as information is broadcast on 24/7 TV news channels. So it’s hard for modern people to grasp that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued Sept. 22, 1862, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 1863, had no immediate impact on the daily lives of most slaves.
That was particularly true in Texas, which was under Confederate control at the time.
In fact, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the emancipation of its slaves. To this day, Juneteenth remains a major celebration in Texas.
A smaller, though activity-packed, Juneteenth celebration began Friday on the grounds of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 505 Parkcliffe Ave., where the Rev. Lewis Macklin II is pastor. Activities continue today and Sunday.
The Rev. Mr. Macklin said he thought of Juneteenth “as a celebration of our ancestors.” He continued by saying the event recognizes “the sum total of our past and present.”
Today and Sunday, the church will celebrate freedom but also offer entertainment, health screenings and fair foods and home-baked goods prepared by women of the church.
“It’s also a time for people to appreciate their neighborhood,” Mr. Macklin said. The event attracts church members and neighborhood residents. It’s hard to pinpoint the number of people who attend, but it’s hundreds who come and go each day.
“This is something positive in the neighborhood,” said Cynthia Little, event coordinator and 13-year church member.
She said the open-mike segment of the celebration is a platform and tribute to the essence of freedom that Juneteenth represents. “Those who sing, mime, dance ... it’s freedom of expression,” Little said.
She also noted the reason behind the event is something she shares with youth who participate. Among young people involved is Mr. Macklin’s 16-year-old son, Donnell, who is the disc jockey.
“Everyone comes out for this. And it’s something for kids to do,” he said.
Myke Clarett, a Juneteenth committee member who has belonged to Holy Trinity for 10 years, was firing up the grill Friday afternoon for the golf team, which was selling food items. “I think this promotes a sense of community,” he said. “And it’s a cultural celebration.”
The Rev. Larry McCulloh of World Fellowship on Dewey Avenue stopped by “to support the community” and participate in the event. “It’s a great event for us as a nation and as a people,” he said.
The Rev. Mr. McCulloh also visited the booth for Mahoning County Children’s Services, which is promoting One Church One Child. He said he wanted to get information to pass on to his congregation.
Gail Waters, caseworker specialist, and Anita Wainwright, independent living coordinator, were distributing pamphlets on the One Church One Child project.
“We’re partnering with churches in Mahoning County to find families to foster and adopt children,” Waters said. “We’re focusing on teens. This is the age group that waits a while for families.”
The program works with faith-based organizations to recruit families to foster and adopt. Waters said two-parent and single-parent families are eligible, and there is no age limit for parents. “Every child needs a home,” she said.
There are 187 children in foster care with 32 to be adopted. Of that number, about half are in adoptive homes but their adoptions are not yet finalized. Children are white, black and Hispanic and may be placed with families of any ethnic background.
“Infants usually get adopted; it’s the older ones who wait,” Waters added.
Wainwright works with the 15- to 18-year-old age group. “They’re not too old to need a family,” she said. “They need that bonding, mentorship and connection to a family.”
Churches participating in the program, along with Holy Trinity, are Alpha and Omega Baptist, Beulah Baptist, Elizabeth Baptist, Jerusalem Baptist, Metro Assembly of God and Mount Zion Baptist. For more information, call children services at (330) 941-8888.
linonis@vindy.com