Juneteenth, a holiday that represents the day that slaves were informed of their freedom for the first time, will be celebrated at the Itta Bena City Park on Saturday.
The Juneteenth 2015 Celebration, to be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., marks the 150th anniversary of independence from slavery.
The event will include a barbecue contest, a talent competition and free food and fun for children under 16.
Charlotte Carpenter Ogieriakhi, coordinator of the event and founder of Mission in the Delta Inc., said the celebration is meant to be fun and also inform people about the holiday.
“A lot of people here haven’t heard of it,” she said.
Originally from California, Ogieriakhi said that living in Itta Bena has inspired her to uplift black culture. She wants to rebuild the community and celebrate African-American heritage, she said.
Ogieriakhi said that the entire state of Mississippi is invited to join in the festivities. She has invited choirs, jazz bands and other local performers to com entertain the community.
“It’s going to be like a cultural family reunion,” said Ogieriakhi.
The barbecue contest is $25 to enter, and there will be trophies for first, second and third place winners. A BBQ King or Queen will also be crowned, Ogieriakhi said.
Entry to the talent show is also $25. There will be cash prizes rewarded to the first-, second- and third-place winners. Ogieriakhi said these winners will get $200, $100 and $50, respectively.
There will be vendor spaces available for $35. Vendors are invited to bring and set up their own tables to sell goods.
Children under 16 will be provided free hot dogs, hamburgers and other common barbecue foods and activities.
There will also be recruiters from different branches of the military at the event.
Although Ogieriakhi expects the event to be plenty of fun, the reason behind the celebration is the important thing to remember, she said.
She was passionate when explaining where Juneteenth comes from. “The slaves were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 but didn’t know about it until June 1865,” she said.
The Civil War was still raging when the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery in the Confederate States, was issued. Most slaves in the South didn’t learn that they had been freed until after the last Confederate army surrendered in May 1865.
Mission in the Delta Inc., a nonprofit, held a flag-raising ceremony June 1 to help celebrate Juneteenth and black veterans. At the flag-raising, which Ogieriakhi plans to hold annually, both the American and African-American flags were raised by the Mississippi National Guard.
Ogieriakhi said that, as her organization’s name implies, she is “on a mission” to reform the Mississippi Delta. She is in the process of submitting paperwork and getting grants to open a community house and homeless shelter in Itta Bena.
“I saw a need for these things here,” she said.
Any volunteers, donations or any other form of contribution to the cause are welcome, Ogieriakhi said.
• Contact Chloe Ricks at 581-7124 or cricks@gwcommonwealth.com.
