The Lafayette County Juneteenth Foundation will host an observance of the 150th Anniversary of Juneteenth.  This event will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2015 from 10 am to 2 pm at the  4-H Building at the Fairground Park in Higginsville, MO. The theme is “May We Forever Stand.”  Arron Haynes is the chairperson for this event. This is a free family-oriented event. 

The day’s activities will include a three on three basketball tournament, music, a potluck dinner, special displays from the Missouri State Museum that focus on Lake Placid and  Whitley Sisters of KC., and special presentations by the Greater Kansas City-Leavenworth Area chapter.  J.R. Bruce is the current chapter president.  The chapter was started in 1966, one hundred years after the creation of the 9th and 10th Horse Calvary.  The chapter was the first to be assigned to the National 9th and 10th Horse Calvary.   He will be recognizing the recent death of the longtime chapter president, James Madison who passed away in March 2015.  Madison served over thirty years as president.  There will also be a special presentation about Cathay Williams, first African-American female to enlist and the only documented to serve in the United States Army posing as a man, under the pseudonym William Cathay. Williams was born as a slave in Independence, MO.

The Juneteenth Foundation is excited about this year’s pot luck dinner.  The Foundation is providing the meats and refreshments.  Those who are attending are asked to bring any sides and desserts.

The Lafayette County Juneteenth Foundation has been hosting an Juneteenth celebration since 2005.  It is their tenth year anniversary. It has worked hard to provide an observance that emphasizes educating the public of the historic significance of Juneteenth. The foundation has been able to fulfill its mission from the help of volunteers from Lafayette County communities, and other communities.

“Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863.” Junteenth.com

The Lafayette County Juneteenth Foundation is a non-profit organization under 501C3
Contact Arron Haynes at abhaynes@ctcis.net or 816-419-3704.

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