"The stories have not all been told!"
The Lafayette County, MO Juneteenth
Celebration will be held on Friday, June 22, 2018 in Higginsville, MO
The theme is “Freedom Matters: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.”
The event is free and family-friendly. Most of the day's activities
are at the community building in the Fairground Park at 801 West 29th
Street in Higginsville, MO. Arron Haynes is the chairperson for the
event.
Junteenth
is the country's oldest observance of the ending of slavery. “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 day will include the following
activities: 9 AM flag-raising ceremony, 10 AM Juneteenth story hour
at the Robertson Memorial Library, 12 Noon – 3 PM a light lunch,
voter registration, and 2 PM voting information workshop presented by
Linda Niendick, Lafayette county clerk, a 4 PM – 5:30 PM exhibit
of educational displays and an evening program at 5:30 PM – 9 PM.
Evening activities include a potluck
dinner, speakers, and music. Regarding the potluck dinner, attendees
are asked to bring side dishes or desserts The Juneteenth committee
will provide the meat, bread, and drinks.. Please text or call Arron
Haynes at 816-419-3709 or email him at abhaynes@ctcis.net
if you want to attend.
“Until the lion tells
his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the
hunter.” This African proverb
is the emphasis of why we celebrate Juneteenth. The evening program
will feature several speakers, special awards, and music.
The special guests and topics are
follows:
Battle of Island Mound – The Battle
of Island Mound was a Civil War skirmish that occurred on October 29,
1862 in Bates County, MO. The Union victory was the first time that
an African- American regiment fought against Confederate soldiers. Brigadier General , Donald L. Scott,
USA, (Ret.) will be our
keynote speaker at the evening program.
Brigadier
General Donald L. Scott entered the United States Army in 1960 as a
Distinguished Military Graduate from Lincoln University (MO), with
the rank of Second Lieutenant and retired in 1991 with the rank of
Brigadier General. Highlights of his military career are: command at
each rank from Captain-Colonel, and was Assistant Division Commander,
First Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX as a Brigadier General; awards
and decorations for two tours in Vietnam include the Combat
Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star Medal with six oak leaf
clusters; he earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human
Development from Troy State University, Montgomery, AL., and
simultaneously graduated from The United States Air War College in
1981. Lincoln University (MO) conferred the honorary PhD to General
Scott in 1991.
In
his post military career, General Scott served as Chief of Staff and
Chief Operating Officer under the late Maynard H. Jackson for the
city of Atlanta, GA; founded the AmeriCorps National Civilian
Community Corps; and served for ten years as the Deputy Librarian and
Chief Operating Officer for the Library of
Congress.
Since
retirement from the Library of Congress, General Scott has served as
a board member of the Missouri State Parks Foundation, The American
FolkLife Center, Library of Congress, Trustee Freedoms Frontier
National Heritage Area, Chairman, Hannibal (MO) African American Life
and History Museum, and Mission: Readiness.
Mr. James Shipley is one of the fewer
of 200 surviving members of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen unit. His
service is featured in the book, Together As One, written by
Jeremy Paul Amick. He will share is experience as being a part of
the 30lst Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group—of
both “Red Tails” and “Tuskegee Airmen” during WWII. Mr.
Shipley proudly served as a mechanic with his unit.
The Late James Turner, Sr. - Imogene
Turner Talbert, daughter and her family will discuss how it was 73
years for their family to learn that their father had earned five
bronze medals for his acts of bravery. Her family will also speak at
the evening program.
Youth Speaker – Kaylee Henry is a
second place winner of the West Central Electric Cooperative's annual
Rural Electric Youth Tour competition and Cooperative Youth
Conference and Leadership Experience (CYCLE). She will discuss the
competition and the trip to Washington, D.C. Ms. Henry is a senior
at the Warrensburg High School in Warrensburg, MO. She is a member
of the National Honor Society and the speech and debate club.
Special Awards– Clarence
and Herman Gant are two brother and are native to this area. The
Gants are retired educators who also have been inducted in the Sports
Hall of Fame at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO.
Music will be provided by Reverends
Glenn and Evelyn Elmore. The Elmores are pastors at the New Beginning
Fellowship Church in Higginsville.
A complete agenda of the activities and
locations is at the Lafayette County Juneteenth Foundation event
page.
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