City celebrates Juneteenth, honors Black history

Alex Gladden, Fort Smith Times Record
·2 min read
A member of the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ensemble plays the saxophone.
A member of the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ensemble plays the saxophone.

Carolyn Mosley's ancestors were slaves. The Klu Klux Klan hung her grandfather, and as a Black woman, she still faces oppression today.

That is why it is important for her to celebrate Juneteenth, she said

“Its meaning is freedom for African Americans, although we still are not completely free," Mosley said.

Juneteenth occurs on June 19 and celebrates that day in 1865 when Galveston slaves learned of their freedom, about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Officers present the colors at the start of Sunday's Juneteenth celebration.
Officers present the colors at the start of Sunday's Juneteenth celebration.

This marks the second year that Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday.

Clayashbie Williams said that it is important to honor the African Americans who came before her who made celebrating Juneteenth possible.

“Freedom is not free. People paid their lives," Williams said.

Saleemah Jalaliddin is glad that Fort Smith celebrated Juneteenth this year. She said it had been a long time coming.

Fort Smith residents commemorated Juneteenth through events Thursday through Sunday.

64.6 Downtown and the Fort Smith Roundtable partnered to offer the city free live music Thursday and Sunday

Thursday's opener was Miss K's Dance Bungalow. New Breed Brass Band, a New Orleans act, will follow as the headliner.

At Sunday's event, comedian Joe Torry presented the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ensemble's Songs of Freedom, featuring leaders of the Civil Rights movement. After that, jazz artist Rodney Block and Fort Smith artist Genine Latrice Perez performed.

John Altman has been in the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ensemble for 22 years. This was the group's first time showing its performance, Songs of Freedom.

The 20-member band mixed music with historical videos that honored Black members of the military.

“This story really highlights the exceptional American perseverance in the African-American community specifically," Altman said.

Alexander Davis, also a member of the band, pointed out that Black people have been a part of the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War.

The videos started with an interview with William Fauntroy Jr., who was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen.

“I was fighting for my country," Fauntroy said in the interview.

The band played music that fit the time period of each video and continued progressing into newer music as the show continued.

The city of Fort Smith, Walmart, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and Punkin Pictures also partnered to put on Juneteenth events Friday and Saturday, according to a news release.

At 6 p.m. Friday, the organizations presented the Making History Gala at Freedom Farms. The evening included a cocktail hour and dinner by Chef James Thomas of The Rialto Restaurant. There were also performances by local and regional musicians.

The play "A Raisin in the Sun" debuted at 7 p.m. Saturday at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center. The mayor's office collaborated with Punkin Pictures to present the play. Silvia Mathis, the founder of Punkin Pictures, is directed the performance.

Alex Gladden is a University of Arkansas graduate. She previously reported for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and The Jonesboro Sun before joining the Times Record. She can be contacted at agladden@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Fort Smith honors the importance of Juneteenth