'America's second Independence Day'
The Society for African-American Cultural Awareness celebrated the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth by walking through the history of African Americans in Jackson, Tennessee and the United States.
"This is America's second Independence Day," said Michael Cherry, who spoke about the holiday's history Saturday at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Juneteenth is a holiday created by freed slaves which celebrates news of the Emancipation Proclamation first reaching Texas on June 19, 1865, two years after the proclamation went into effect.
Freed slaves celebrated with barbeques, races, baseball games and dancing, Cherry said.
Cherry discussed the limits of the Emancipation Proclamation and how it did not free slaves in states loyal to the Union, including Tennessee. Slaves in Tennessee were not freed until February 1865, he said.
Cherry also told of how the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, with the 14th Amendment giving African Americans citizenship and the 15th Amendment giving black males the right to vote.
James Theus, chairman of the event, said black children must know their history.
"This program is basically about our children," he said. "It's about the history of our people, how we came to be, what we're going to do for our children. Our children need programs, our children need guidance, our children need fathers."
Harrell Carter, president of the Jackson-Madison County NAACP, spoke about the history of African Americans in Jackson, including the change from a city commission government with three officials elected at-large to nine councilmen elected by districts, giving greater representation to black residents.
Carter also said there currently is restrictive voting hours and unfair districting, making it a struggle for black residents to vote effectively.
"The bottom line is this: There is a conscious effort to restrict your vote in the city of Jackson and Madison County," Carter said.
Wendy Trice Martin shared how Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, launched the movement that led to President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act in 1965, giving every U.S. citizen the right to vote.
Kendric Trice, 9, then described his visit to Selma with Martin, his grandmother.
"Going to Selma changed me," Trice said. "It opened my eyes and showed me what people did a long time ago for my rights. ... I'm going to vote and try to get people to vote to make a difference in my community."
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