A superior crowd, along with beautiful weather, is expected for this year’s 2nd Annual City-Wide Juneteenth Freedom Weekend Celebration set for June 16-19, 2022, at the Isiah Fredricks Community Center and Ball Field in Gulfport.
    Everyone is invited to attend the four-day event that will feature food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, a classic and custom car show, kid-friendly activities, and live entertainment and festivities for the entire family.
     “There will be plenty for everyone to have fun while they learn about Juneteenth and African-American history,” Juneteenth Celebration Committee Vice Chairwoman Terri Tyler said. “I really would like to say that this event is not just for African Americans, everyone is invited to come enjoy and learn.”

“I really would like to say that this event is not just for African Americans, everyone is invited to come enjoy and learn.”

Terri Tyler, Juneteenth Celebration Committee Vice Chairwoman

     The event begins with an Oratory Competition scheduled for June 16 that precedes a “Juneteenth on the Coast” Kick-Off Party on June 17, followed by the Juneteenth Freedom Festival and “Parade of Legacies” on June 18, and ends on June 19 with the 2^nd Annual Freedom Brunch & Jamii Awards.
     “This has gotten much bigger than anticipated,” Juneteenth Celebration Committee Chairman Bobby Hudson III said of the initiative that kicked off with a crowd of several hundred at last year’s inaugural Juneteenth celebratory parade and festivities. And despite challenges caused by tropical storms moving through the area, the first-time event – a year in the making – was still a huge success.
     “Because of the weather, last year’s parade was rescheduled to that next Saturday, but the joy of Juneteenth was never lost, and everyone had a wonderful experience,” he said.

     It was 2020 when Hudson received a mayoral proclamation recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday in Gulfport. He had no idea the outpour of community support that would be spurred into action across the Mississippi Gulf Coast he calls home.  
     Hudson said he decided to act on what he saw as “a need to educate our community on African-American history and culture.” And as a result, he established the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration as a nonprofit organization he leads today overseeing a professional committee to run operations and planning.
     It is called Juneteenth as a blending of the words June and nineteenth. Also known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth is a newly declared federal holiday in the United States. It commemorates the day in Galveston, Texas, where thousands of slaves were not aware of their freedom during the Civil War until June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued an order officially freeing them.  Freedom Day marks the moment when emancipation finally reached those in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy.

     Juneteenth Celebration Committee members have high hopes the event will continue to grow and benefit communities in Gulfport and along the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
     “I hope that the City of Gulfport would become a part of this great event,” said Tyler. “It will speak volumes if the city further acknowledges Juneteenth. Just like MLK Day, this day should not just be a day off work.”
     Hudson echoed Tyler’s sentiments, saying, “I think it’s important that we uphold W.E.B. Du Bois’ theory of the Talented Tenth and educate the communities we come from for the better.”
     All festivities for this year’s Juneteenth Celebration are scheduled 19 minutes past the hour in staunch recognition of the holiday. It is a key detail in giving the event a unique edge locally.         
     Event participants are invited to register for various event competitions including a Daddy-Daughter Three-Legged Race, 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, Community Kickball Game, Spades Tournament, Ultimate Tik-Tok Challenge, and Best Potato Salad Competition.
     Live music – party, blues and oldies by DJ C-Rock, special artists and guest bands will delight crowds and provide an opening for stage shows such as a Gospel Extravaganza hosted by Evangelist Paulette Dean of Forest Heights Baptist Church of North Gulfport.
     Also participating in this year’s 2nd Annual City-Wide Juneteenth Freedom Weekend Celebration are various event characters including the Griots Society, a group of women established by the Juneteenth Celebration Committee to serve as official elders and/or ceremonial storytellers to help educate festival-goers on why we celebrate Juneteenth. Learn more about other characters like the Buffoons also attending this year’s celebration by visiting www.gulfportjuneteenth.com.

     The oratorical contest namesake is Mary Spinks-Thigpen named by the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration Committee in honor of her continued legacy. She is a petite and dynamic woman who has spent her more than 75 years giving back to the community. She says, “We are created to help one another. Making sure the children are getting the best and doing the best you can for them.” She assisted with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Gulf Coast Forest Heights Center for 15 years and was part of the first Head Start and a founding member of the Coast-Wide Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.  She contributed 35 years as choir director for the National State Baptist Convention, Shilo District Association.  Dedication to children and education have led Mrs. Spinks-Thigpen to be an advocate and trailblazer for African Americans across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It gives her great delight that last year’s scholarship awards for the Oratory Contest in her name totaled over $2,000 with a chance for even more this year.  These scholarships are awarded to children K-12 that receive first place in four tiers.

     The Freedom Brunch & Jamii (“Community” in Swahili) Awards will include recognizing outstanding community leaders and individuals, with a special presentation to African-American fathers in attendance.
     Mr. Carlos Bell is the inaugural 2021 recipient of “The Lloyd Croutch Service-To-Culture” Jamii Award. In attendance with his family, Mr. Bell was honored as an outstanding community member who exhibited dedication and perseverance in preserving the African-American community in Gulfport throughout various forms of service. The recipient reflects a devotion and heart for service in Gulfport. Mr. Bell is the Director of Public Engagement for the Mississippi State Port Authority in Gulfport.
     The second award is named after Harrison County Election Commissioner District 4 Christene Brice. Ms. Brice, in her own right, is generous to a fault. She spent 30 years as a third-grade teacher at Lyman Elementary, started W.H.Y. – Workers Helping Youth in 1964, and “Everything that she does represents the epitome of everything that is good and wonderful in the community,” noted her son, Allen Brice.  Awarding Representative Sonya Williams Barnes of the Mississippi House of Representatives, “The Christene Brice Leader-In-Action” Jamii Award recognizes an elected official or community leader who continues to display an active and productive role in various community efforts. The recipient also displays a passion for educating and cultivating the African-American community in Gulfport.  
     This year’s 2022 Jamii Awards will go to Ms. Angie Juzang, “The Christene Brice Leader in Action”; and Mr. Jeffery Hulum III, “The Lloyd Croutch Service-To-Culture.”

     This year’s parade marshals will lead a morning promenade, “Processional of Legacies,” along Michigan and Kentucky Avenues, honoring locally selected community members and individuals for their legacies and contributions. They are: District 4 Supervisor Kent Jones, Constable Sammie Taylor, Judy Lombard-Barkum, Freddie Williams, Extend A Hand Help A Friend, and Ambassadors for Christ.
     For more information about the 2nd Annual City-Wide Juneteenth Freedom Weekend Celebration, visit www.gulfportjuneteenth.com, call (228) 224-1950, email gptjuneteenthcel@gmail.com.   Visit https://gptjuneteenthcel.wixsite.com/gulfportcity-widejun for a complete schedule, ticketed events, and additional details.

On the cover: Rutha Evans and Janice Merrill are among special characters participating in the annual Juneteenth Freedom Weekend Celebration festivities. As Griots (“Storytellers,” in Swahili), these ladies are carrying on the tradition of verbal history to insure the children know where they came from and not losing the history carried in the people.

Susan Weller

Years of living along the Gulf Coast with a penchant for capturing photographs of smiling faces and beautiful places has brought Susan Weller to Seaside Social News. “This tenure will enhance my opportunities to capture and promote the exciting venues and activities generated by our lovely Gulf Coast and the people who live and celebrate life’s joys.”