Marble Falls celebrates Juneteenth on June 21 in Westside Park
While giving a tour of the recently opened Black History Museum at St. Frederick Baptist Church in Marble Falls, the Rev. George Perry explains why Juneteenth is a celebration for all people, not just the Black community. A group of Marble Falls churches is hosting a community-wide Juneteenth-Freedom Day event in Westside Park on June 21 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Photo by Daniel Clifton
Juneteenth is a celebration for all people, not just the Black community, said the Rev. George Perry of St. Frederick Baptist Church of Marble Falls. That is why a group of Marble Falls churches joined St. Frederick’s to hold a city-wide observation of the day on which slaves were freed in Texas, 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law.
The event is Saturday, June 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Westside Park, 1610 Second St.
“This is, to me, an important event,” Perry said. “I want to educate the public that Juneteenth is not just for African Americans because we weren’t in this by ourselves. You know, other folks helped get us where we are.”
The Marble Falls celebration of Juneteenth-Freedom Day features food, games, and music. The new Black History Museum at St. Frederick Baptist Church, 301 Avenue N, will be open for tours. The museum held a grand opening in February.
“What I want people to take away from it is that we are one,” Perry said. “And—I guess to put it bluntly—for people to realize and understand that prejudice has no room in our society. Too many people see color, and there is no real distinction between us. We’re all children of God.”
Another member of the Juneteenth organizing committee, the Rev. Jamie Greening of Fellowship Baptist Church of Marble Falls, agreed.
“(This event) creates the opportunity for building a healthy community founded on relationships that share in life rather than the mistrust of a dysfunctional community,” Greening said. “Juneteenth is an opportunity for us to choose a vibrant, connected, caring community.”
Recently, the Rev. Perry took this writer on a tour of the new museum, pointing out exhibits that celebrate Black history, both in the United States and on the African continent. He reflected on how freedom and, eventually, Civil Rights for Black people came about.
“We didn’t do it alone,” he said. “If you look at history, there were a lot of white folks who risked a lot to help us. Juneteenth isn’t just Black history, it’s our history. It’s everyone’s.
Emancipation was slow to reach Texas due to its location on the western edge of the Confederacy and the continuation of the Civil War. It wasn’t until U.S. Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, that the law was enforced in the state. The United States fully abolished slavery with the passage of the 13th Amendment in December 1865.
The first Juneteenth celebration is believed to have happened one year after Granger’s arrival in Galveston. Since then, the day has grown and spread. The state of Texas recognized Juneteenth (June 19) as an official holiday in 1979. Several other states followed, and in 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed a resolution making it a federal holiday.
Marble Falls boasted a vibrant Juneteenth celebration for a number of years in Johnson Park. It was organized by the Conley family, members of St. Frederick Baptist Church. Then, according to the Rev. Perry, health issues forced the Conley family to step back. Perry and St. Frederick’s eventually stepped in to host the event on church grounds.
“Our goal this year is to have multiple people working on this event,” Perry said. “I want to do my best right now to get it set up in a way to where, if something happened to me, anybody in that group would be able to pick it up and go on. I don’t want it to go into limbo the way it once did.”
The Marble Falls Juneteenth-Freedom Day celebration is a time for people to play games, eat good food, and sit down together and talk. It’s a chance to look at and celebrate the past but also see where the community is now and where it might go in the future, said the Rev. Greening.
“History matters,” Greening said. “Celebrating the strength and perseverance of oppressed peoples gives us courage for today. Likewise, celebrating the reality that integrity and morality can pave the way for a better future for everyone may very well give moral clarity to the pressing issues of our time.”
The Rev. Perry boiled the celebration down to this.
“The takeaway from Juneteenth is togetherness,” he said. “It’s coming on one accord to get something done.”