By ZOË HAGGARD - zhaggard@t-g.com
Bedford County’s first ever Juneteenth Celebration will be Saturday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Shelbyville Square.
The event is co-sponsored by the Gilliland Resource Center and the Rosenwald Recreation Center to celebrate “a day about freedom.”
“So, you have two non-profits in town that have come together,” said County Commissioner Sylvia Pinson, who has worked with both agencies when she was Parks and Recreation Director in Shelbyville. She said they have been planning this event for around nine months.
“These two agencies coming together to provide this has been a great asset for them to bring,” Pinson said. “They have done really well in sponsorships, and everyone has been open to do their part as far as getting this celebration together.”
The Gilliland Resource Center is a historical research center that preserves the history and legacy of Shelbyville’s African American stone mason James S. “Jim” Gilliland. They are located at 803 Lipscomb St. in Shelbyville and have hosted a Juneteenth Fish Fry previously.
Brief history of Juneteenth
According to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops came to Galveston Bay, Texas, announcing that more than 250,000 slaves in the state were free by President Abraham Lincoln’s decree.
When the Emancipation Proclamation was written in 1863, it did not include states under Confederate control. The westernmost Confederate state of Texas did not recognize the emancipation until the end of the American Civil War, where some 750,000 soldiers sacrificed their lives.
President Joe Biden made June 19 a national holiday last year.
“I am excited that we’re bringing in a new event for Shelbyville-Bedford County and to highlight the new national holiday...We hope to continue the celebration each year and build on it,” Pinson said.
Schedule
•9 a.m. - parade lineup
•9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. - parade
•10 a.m. - opening ceremonies
•10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - arts, crafts, food vendors, Community health booths, music and dancers
•10 a.m. to noon – children's activities, storytelling, face painting
•12 to 1 p.m. - Keynote speaker, Jason Scales
•1 p.m. - awards ceremony for coloring page, poster, and essay contests
•10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - free M&M Sports Clinic at Thomas Magnet School, grades 3rd – 6th. Transportation from the public square will be provided.
Attendants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. For more information, visit bcjuneteenth.com, find them on Facebook at bcjune19, or call 931-580-9696.
