Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration opens a time when particularly people of African descent can surround themselves energetically with Ancestral vibration to recognize, and see within themselves, the foundational presence of African people in Richmond and in the Americas.  Since the 1500s, African people were trafficked to the Americas in the Transatlantic Trade of Enslaved Africans. Beginning in the 1680’s, Africans to be sold landed at or near Richmond’s Manchester Dock, for an entire century.  African people along with colonizers and enslavers encountered indigenous people throughout the Americas, including Richmond, whose civilizations were also permanently upended.

Then, boat loads of enslaved Africans were exported to the Deep South from Richmond’s riverside, Rocketts Landing, in coffles, and by rail until 1865.  It wasn’t until on or about June 19, 1865, 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted, that enslaved Africans in Texas, a cotton production hold-out, were finally freed by a federal government decree as carried out and embodied by the Union Army.

The public is invited to Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration to for the annual Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans as it immerses attendees in narratives, the historical record and music. It is a sacred, poignant pilgrimage of recognition and acknowledgement.  Also, Dancing with the Ancestors follows and invites attendees to ponder, to reflect, to understand, to engage in ritual and to enjoy music, dance, conversation, children’s activities, food, cultural shopping (Ujamaa) and more.  

Attendees are asked to wear white, and they may bring ancestral offerings such as flowers, water, fruit or prayers.  

“In celebrating our Ancestors who labored in bondage until the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and those in Texas for whom freedom was delayed, attendees can expect an affirming, joyful and thoughtful gathering to be with one another and to say thank you for the strong shoulders upon which we stand,” says Janine Bell, president and artistic director of the Elegba Folklore Society.  “Understanding how we got to where we are is a perpetual roadmap towards actualizing a liberated future.”

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