Carla Clark | For The Republic Terrence Ali and Reggie Jones at the Bar B Q Junction booth during the Columbus/Bartholomew County Area Branch of the NAACP’s Juneteenth celebration on June 22 along Fourth Street in downtown Columbus.
Successful Juneteeth and seven related events held in June locally last month will pave the way for expanded, similar offerings during that month next year.
A total of 1,000 people attended programs and events.
Whittney Gaines, founder of Black History Columbus, offered that perspective when she spoke of a Juneteenth event that attracted an estimated 600 people on the second day of the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair and on a near-90 degree day. She also referenced other related events, including a blood drive highlighting sickle cell anemia to a bourbon and whiskey tasting.
The blood drive filled all available donation slots.
“I think that’s the idea next year — to expand,” Gaines said. “We want to take these various pockets of opportunity to continue to educate and celebrate all the different elements of African American heritage and our culture.
“We started all this with Black History Month Columbus in (February) 2023, and that kind of took on a life of its own. … And I feel like there never has been such community support.”
In fact, those events, ranging from movies to cooking events, generated such interest that it became one of the catalysts for Black cultural events in June. Juneteenth marks the date in U.S. history when the last of American slaves were freed in Texas.
Gaines coordinated the overall calendar with a mix of collaborators, planners and supporters as varied as the Bartholomew County Historical Society, Swine & Dine restaurant, and Toyota Material Handling.
“I obviously can’t take any credit for the success of the (June) events themselves,” Gaines said. “It’s just been my job simply to bring all the events together on the calendar and wrap them up with a pretty bow.”
The main support for all this has come from the African American Foundation of Bartholomew County, to help educate and inspire African Americans who reside in Bartholomew County by focusing on education, leadership development, economic, and career development.
The June events reflect Black History Columbus organizers making good on a promise made on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023 that events celebrating African American history would grow beyond the traditional month of February — and so not only for Black residents, who comprise slightly less than 3 percent of the local population, but for all residents.
Lori Thompson, board president of the African American Foundation of Bartholomew County, highlighted the success of a range of June Black cultural events.
“When the African American Foundation launched its million dollar campaign last fall, one of the things we envisioned was bringing different arts and culture to the community for all to experience and enjoy,” Thompson said. “In collaboration with several community partners, the expansion of our traditional Juneteenth celebration (of years past) did precisely that. … Our mission was accomplished.”
