The City of Natchitoches concluded its day-long Juneteenth Celebrations with a fun filled concert and fireworks show Saturday, June 21 at the downtown riverbank. The family-friendly event was attended by a capacity crowd who filled the amphitheater seating and enjoyed some superb music from the On Point Band followed by Zydeco legend Chris Ardoin. GODJ Chris kept the fun going in between sets. The indefatigable local civic leader Johnny Barnes of the Concerned Citizens Association of Natchitoches once again kept the crowd hydrated with free cold water.
The community’s newest annual celebration also featured food trucks, a mechanical bull, and inflatable play areas for children. The Juneteenth celebration concluded with one of our city’s magnificent fireworks shows.
The day’s celebrations began at the Natchitoches Parish. Texas and Pacific Railway Depot with a morning ceremony hosted by Natchitoches’ Mardi Gras Krewe of the 9. The ceremony honored two icons of the civil rights movement in our area, The late Ms. Edwina M. Lewis and Mr. Edward Ward, Jr. Ms. Lewis’ plaque was accepted by family members. Mr. Ward is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. Ms. Lewis was a member of Delta Sigma Theta. In addition to the awards, Park Service Guide Ms. Da’Nira Mc Clay gave a presentation on the history of the Depot, now the headquarters of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park.
The MLK Community Center hosted a community celebration earlier in the day that showcased our area’s young people. The celebration featured a health fair and basketball tournament. The tournament featured teams from the NSU Football squad, Kappa Alpha Psi, the Natchitoches Police and Sheriff Departments, and a celebrity matchup. The most eagerly awaited hardwood matchup, however, may have been an eagerly awaited clash between alumni players from the parish’s two powerhouses – NCHS and Lakeview
Juneteenth commemorates the day of June 19, 1865, in which Union general Gordon Granger landed his forces in Galveston, Texas and issued his famous Order Number 3 declaring: “…The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free ….”
On the first Juneteenth, a little over two months after the surrender of Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox doomed the Confederacy, General Granger and his troops fulfilled the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The Stars and Stripes once more flew from every corner of this nation. The Confederacy was crushed and the evil of slavery driven from our country. It is indeed a day worthy of remembrance and celebration!
