The Butterfly Effect Project hosted a Juneteenth celebration today at First Baptist Church of Riverhead, commemorating the holiday that marks the date in 1865 when news of President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation — two years earlier — was brought to Galveston, Texas by Union Army Major General Gordon Granger.
Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans with community gatherings since the 1800s.
The East End Voters Coalition held a Juneteenth celebration at Ludlam Avenue Park for many years.
Robert “Bubbie” Brown, a founder of the East End Voters Coalition and a deacon at First Baptist Church of Riverhead, called The Butterfly Effect Executive Director Tijuana Fulford a couple of months ago to ask if she would be interested in organizing the Juneteenth celebration.
“He said, ‘I want to do something different,’” Fulford recalled today. “And I knew he was passing the torch,” she said.
“So, to Bubbie I say, thank you for ceding, thank you for trusting and thank you for allowing me to stand on your shoulders,” Fulford said.
Fulford organized an event where everything was free to all who attended— food, snacks, watermelon, ice cream, a bouncy house — and all were welcome.
There were dance performances, poetry readings, line-dancing lessons, hair-styling, and booths with information about community services.
The Rev. Cynthia Liggon, assistant pastor at First Baptist Church of Riverhead, said the enslaved people in Texas after the confederacy lost the war “lacked information,” which he said was “intentional.”
“They did not know that they were free,” Liggon said. “And I believe that there are people still enslaved today, because they lack information. There are many things today that they do not have to be enslaved to. which is poverty, the criminal justice system, the lack of equity… There are many things they don’t have to be enslaved to, but they lack information,” Liggon said.
The event was a great success, The Butterfly Effect Project founder and executive director Tjuana Fulford said.
“I thought it was phenomenal,” she said Wednesday evening.
“People came from everywhere, saying, ‘I want to be a part of this.’ To
come out and share their gifts and talents with us at no charge…” She pointed out how kids and teens turned out for the event, when it was a school holiday and they could have slept lat and hung out at home.”
“Just to be free on Freedom Day,” Fulford said, “Happy to be present.”
A couple hundred people attended, not including vendors, Fulford said.
“I’m elated,” she said. “I’m grateful to the community for turning out.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
