Events continue this weekend to commemorate the end of slavery in America
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
More than 50 people gathered on the Churchill Hall lawn at Southern Oregon University on Thursday morning to commemorate Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, enacted in 2021 to celebrate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Sharing remarks at the university’s second annual Juneteenth celebration were Toya Cooper, SOU’s first vice president for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and also a person of color, along with Ashland City Councilor Gina DuQuenne and SOU President Rick Bailey.
Freeing of slaves goes back to when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but word of their freedom did not reach slaves in the area of Galveston, Texas, until Union Army soldiers arrived on June 19, 1865.
On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. The act created an official commemoration of Juneteenth, a holiday that has long been celebrated in the African-American communities.
“On Galveston Island, where I was born and where most of my family on my father’s side was born, there were still at that time plantation owners who maintained the system of involuntary slavery, involuntary servitude,” Cooper said. “And so, (Major) Gen. (Gordon) Granger, with his soldiers, marched around Galveston Island, reading General Order No. 3 … to effect the Emancipation Proclamation.”
“We’re here today to recognize that,” she added.
Councilor Gina DuQuenne, who was introduced as the first Black woman and lesbian to be elected to Ashland City Council, shared a keynote address for the event. DuQuenne, who is three generations removed from slavery, is also founder of the Southern Oregon Pride Festival.
“It’s important to me like I believe it’s important to so many Ashlanders that this is an annual event here in Ashland,” DuQuenne said.
DuQuenne shared that the history of Juneteenth reaches much further back in history than 1865.
“Let’s take it back,” she said. “Let’s go to 1619 … after we were sold, stolen, and made to come here. Our ancestors arrived here not knowing the language, the culture, the food … everything was completely foreign to them …. Imagine for a moment what that must have been like. When I think about the magnitude of courage, resilience, fortitude our ancestors had, it reminds me that we come from the best of the best.
“When I look at present day, we are reminded that there’s still no liberty and justice for all,” she added.
DuQuenne posed a question to the audience about the present day.
“You may ask yourselves, are we really free?” DuQuenne said. “No, there are no more chains, no, there are no more masters, but the N-word is still being said.”
DuQuenne acknowledged the Juneteenth flag, which was raised during the ceremony by SOU’s ROTC members next to the American Flag.
“When you look at the Juneteenth flag, you will notice it’s red, white and blue,” she said. “We see the same colors on the American Flag to acknowledge that formerly enslaved people and descendents, us, are Americans. There’s an arch on the flag that symbolizes new horizons and hope for the future.
“The star that’s on the flag that’s in the center is a nod to Texas, because Texas is the Lonestar state and that’s where we celebrated our first Juneteenth celebration,” she added. “Our ancestors lived and died so that we could have new beginnings. This flag, when I look at it, is very symbolic. It gives me hope in humanity and mankind. It gives me faith in people, all people.”
DuQuenne reminded those in the audience who are people of color to hold their heads high.
“You are your ancestors’ wildest dreams,” she said.
Visiting SOU alumnus and saxophonist Pu Zhi played the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by James Weldon Johnson. Zhi is a 2020 graduate in Saxophone Performance, the artist in residence for the University of Nebraska, and an executive member of the International Saxophone Academy.
Bailey quoted the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”
“It doesn’t bend organically,” Bailey added.
Bailey emphasized unity and pushing back against voices that divide instead of uniting.
“There are so many voices out there right now that try to divide us,” Bailey said. “And unfortunately, they try to divide us among arbitrary lines, what someone looks like, where someone comes from, who someone loves, how they identify themselves. Sometimes those voices are driven by political agendas, sometimes they’re just driven by hate. So what do we do about that? How do we answer that? The way we answer that is by recommitting ourselves everyday, not just to what we believe in, but who we are as a people.”
The event kicked off a weekend of Juneteenth events planned in Southern Oregon.
On Saturday, Black Alliance and Social Empowerment (BASE) Southern Oregon will hold the third annual Southern Oregon Juneteenth Celebration, an outdoor cultural event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Pear Blossom Park in Medford, 312 E. Fourth St.
There will be a Juneteenth celebration picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18, at Ashland Creek Park, 27 E. Hersey St., Ashland. The event will also serve as a public launch for a fundraising campaign for the permanent “Say Their Names Collective” art installation, and “Ancestors Crystallizing Our Call.” There will be food trucks on site and donations will be accepted to support public art.
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.
