Littlefield’s 2021 Juneteenth Celebration will be held in Dunbar Park this this Saturday, June 19, 2021, at the Van Ashley Pavilion, in Dunbar Park.
The Community Brotherhood will be grilling hamburgers for the free hamburger meal.
The hamburgers, with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo or mustard, will be served with chips on trays, and delivered to the occupants of cars that are lined up to drive by, on the street in front of the Pavilion.
At 11 a.m., the hamburger trays will be delivered to shut-ins, then at 12 noon, the trays will begin being served to those who drive by in their cars.
A pound cake cookoff will be conducted, and judged for the first, second and third-place entries. Prizes of $40 for first place, $20 for second place, and $10 for third place will be awarded.
The entries, must be at the Pavilion by 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, June 19.
A cake dish will be provided for the entries, by calling Jennica Williams at 806-598-9030; or Sharon Johnson at 806-518-4772.
They are looking for cake judges, since they are expecting several entries. Anyone who would like to serve as a cake judge, is asked to call Jennica or Sharon to volunteer.
Juneteenth, a State Holiday
Juneteenth marks the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. That day, the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston with the news that the war had ended and that the slaves were now free.
However, that was 2-1/2 years after president Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued – which had become official on Jan. 1, 1863..
According to history, the Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans, because of the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new order.
However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regimen, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance of many states to free the slaves.
There were reasons the news did not reach Texas until 2-1/2 years after the order was signed to free the slaves, and some of the explanations that were published in. Texas Almanac were:
1. It was said that the messengers with the orders to free the slaves were murdered.
2. The news was deliberately withheld by the slave owners to maintain the labor force on the plantations.
3. The federal troops waited for the plantation owners to reap the benefits of one final cotton harvest, before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
But, for whatever the reason, slaves in Texas were freed on June 19, 1865.
The reactions to the great news ranged from pure shock, to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of the new employer-to-employee relationship, many left before offers were completely spoken by their former “Masters”.
The Juneteenth Celebration in Littlefield is attempting to educate the public about the celebration, and its significance to people of all races.