The continuation of Juneteenth celebrations in Pine Bluff took on a much cooler venue Saturday compared to the one Friday.
The city-organized Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom drew vendors and visitors to the Pine Bluff Convention Center arena with its own center stage and entertainment for the kids. One of the stations drew young chess players to life-size pieces they could move on a giant checkerboard.
Saturday’s event followed a downtown celebration sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff amid temperatures in the 90s. A silent auction was held to benefit contestants’ trip to the National ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technology and Scientific Olympics) in July in Las Vegas.
“We’ve had a great turnout for this,” said Mar’Tavius Proctor, special projects coordinator for the city. He added maybe 200 showed up less than 2 hours into the celebration.
“People are coming and leaving, visiting the tables and watching the performances from different local artists,” Proctor added. “We’ve been, pretty much, promoting what we have in Pine Bluff in a positive way.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The official Juneteenth holiday is June 19 and commemorates the notice by Union soldiers to enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, of the Emancipation Proclamation signed two years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln. Jimmy Cunningham Jr., tourism development director for the city, gave an oral history of Juneteenth, according to Proctor.
This is the fourth year for the federal holiday.
“We’ve had various young people perform,” Proctor said. “We’ve had a praise team. We’ve had a couple of little kids go up and do a couple of line dances. Just bringing the community together has been a great asset to the city of Pine Bluff.”
Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom drew a number of vendors to the Pine Bluff Convention Center arena. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. attend Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom. From left: Marilyn Maloney, Kassidy Maloney, Tyjunia Clark, Bobbie Bridges, Virginia Humphrey-Gulley, Serenity Merriweather, Nastassia Merriweather (chapter president), Este Frazier, Lula Gray, Monica Griffin and Ruby Young. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)