African American Heritage, Music, Juneteenth Festival set
FESTIVAL FUN – Valerie Porter is inviting everyone in Humboldt to come out and celebrate Juneteenth at the African American Heritage and Music festival on June 17 and June 18. There will be food, games, prizes and more. It will be fun for the whole family.
by ARIEL McRAE | Associate Editor
amcrae@hchronicle.net
The 7th annual African American Heritage and Music festival will return to Viking Park to celebrate the weekend of Juneteenth as well as African American culture. Valerie Porter, the coordinator of the festival, is geared up for the weekend filled with fun and games, music and tasty food. She is hopeful the turnout is even better than last year.
“We call the festival the African American Heritage and Music festival because we want to showcase and educate [people] about accomplishments and the freedom of African Americans,” Porter said of the festival. “Humboldt is a mixture. There is something for everybody. It is a family oriented event. I want people to come and stay for the day.”
Juneteenth is shorthand for June 19. According to Porter and History.com, the holiday is celebrated in reference to the year 1865 when on the day of June 19, soldiers marched into Galveston, Tex. to enforce them to uphold the information within the Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves forevermore. This enforcement came nearly three years after the original decree, but Texas was not adhering to the law, instead choosing to continue using their slaves for labor.
With the holiday now both a federal holiday as of 2021 and a city of Humboldt adopted holiday as of 2023, the main focus for the celebration and Juneteenth is freedom.
“I just want the community to learn more about [Juneteenth] as a whole,” Porter explained. “This is not just a black holiday, it is about the freedom of black people. All people should celebrate the freedom of any race of people.”
Porter mentioned that she was still working on the itinerary and finalizing all of the details, but she did say that the event would start on Saturday, June 17 and will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 18 will receive patrons from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. There will be an opening celebration, poetry readings, live music, street vendors, a fashion show and much, much more including a corn hole tournament with cash prizes.
Porter hopes this festival continues to grow and causes people to cross lines and celebrate the true meaning of the holiday for years to come. She wants everyone to come out and celebrate heritage and culture, especially those with young children because in her mind it is a parent’s responsibility to raise their child knowing their history. Porter also said in order for the festival to grow, there needs to be a corporate sponsor up to the task.
“I would love to be able to have the celebration in Humboldt, but also in Three Way. We need corporate sponsors in order to make this festival grow and bring in big artists and [attractions] we can’t do without corporate sponsors,” Porter expressed.
For more information regarding the festival and Juneteenth, please contact Valerie Porter at 901-486-0373.
