LAURINBURG —An age-old celebration, one that dates back 164 years, is taking place in Laurinburg now and the public is invited to join in over the next couple of days.
The NAACP Youth Council, along with the Scotland Youth Development, have organized the Juneteenth celebration, which will last through Saturday.
Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, a state holiday celebrating the end of slavery. On June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended, Union Army troops arrived in Texas. According to history, Gen. Gordon Granger stood on the balcony of the Ashton Villa in Galveston and announced General Order No. 3.
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor,” that order stated.
Before that time, the slaves in Texas were not aware of the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued by President Abraham Lincoln some three years earlier.
Locally, an immigration talk will be held at Galilee United Methodist Church on Thursday at 6 p.m. Following that, there will be a youth empowerment day on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Scotland Youth Development and a talent show held at 6 p.m. There will be a freedom ride/walk starting at the Scotland Youth Development at 10 a.m. Saturday morning and, according to Rena McNeil, bikers will lead the walk.
The goal of these events is “to shed light on the day in history,” said McNeil. “We should all say Happy Juneteenth Day!”
On Wednesday, the Scotland County NAACP Youth held a Juneteenth Pageant at the Scotland Youth Development.
The Scotland Youth Development is located at 201 Atkinson St. in Laurinburg. For information about the Juneteenth events. call 910-384-3168.
Alexis Polson is a summer intern from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
