Juneteenth Celebration in Hope

VOTE SOAR held the third annual Juneteenth celebration in Hope on Friday and Saturday (6-14 & 6-15). On Friday, there was the kickoff at the Pocket Park in downtown Hope on 2nd Street.   The event started with a welcome by Sylvia Brown and the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” known as the Black National Anthem. Brown recounted the story of Juneteenth with Texas not delivering the message to freed slaves about their emancipation and a general arriving in Galveston with two thousand troops to deliver it on June 19th 1865. Brown talked about a silent auction of slaves in Spring Hill in 1842 to make a point that it had local fairly recent relevance. Brown noted faith has always been a part of the resilience. Also at the event were three women from Little Rock with petitions about the Learns act and abortion and Brown talked about how Hempstead County will be negatively impacted by the tax cut being pushed. She linked liberation to the ballot box. Brown also introduced the dj’s there to play music and “Shell Shocked” food truck.