Juneteenth event marked by lively music, dance, community vibe

By Lynne Cope Hummell EDITOR

Arriving at the annual Juneteenth Celebration at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park June 17, visitors were welcomed by the sound of lively music and storytelling on the stage across the way.

“We are so pleased to have welcomed 1,400 people to Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park for the ninth annual Juneteenth Celebration,” said Ahmad Ward, executive director of the HMFP organization. “Our tagline is ‘Where Freedom Began,’ so what better place to celebrate the story of Juneteenth – which exemplifies freedom for all people – than Mitchelville.”

The previous two days of celebration included a June 15 sleepover in the park led by Joseph McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project.

McGill is the author of “Sleeping with the Ancestors,” an account of his travels and experiences sleeping in cabins across the U.S. formerly inhabited by enslaved people.

A drum circle was held June 16, with about 200 people in attendance. Pearl Gordon of Kingstree, a vendor at the festival, helped build a shrine to the ancestors at the base of a pine tree.

“We offer them food and drink for their journey,” she said.

On Saturday, Ward and Omolola Campbell, chair of the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park board of directors, greeted attendees.

While dozens of merchandise vendors and nonprofit organizations welcomed visitors to their tents around the park, food trucks offered treats from cinnamon rolls to traditional Gullah Geechee favorite foods.

The local choral group Voices of El Shaddai kicked off performances for the day with their lively gospel songs.

After an explanation of why we celebrate Juneteenth and a reading of the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery, Marlena Smalls, founder of the famed Hallelujah Singers of Beaufort, sang at the Praise House. Later in the afternoon, the full chorus joined her on the main stage.

Harriet Tubman “appeared” in the form of Cora Miller, who regaled the audience with stories of Tubman’s work in the Lowcountry in the 1850s as a “conductor,” sneaking people onto the Underground Railroad for their escape to freedom.

Other performers were the Uhuru Dancers, a traditional African dance company from Atlanta, and island storyteller Louise Cohen, who tells tales of the old days in her native Gullah language.

A first for the celebration was an Old

School Dance Contest, which brought out serious competitors of all ages. As Ward bantered with the dancers, he encouraged them to make their moves to the best of their ability.

“It seems like the big hit this year was the Old School Dance Contest with the $100 first prize,” Ward said. “The crowd really got into it and we will definitely do it again next year.”

Participants ranged in age from about 5 to about 75. Dancer No. 95, Gordie Smith, was an obvious crowd favorite and took the first place prize. When asked later how he learned to dance like that, he replied,

“Watching old people.”

Expressive dancer Malayziah Etheredge took second place, and Candice Thomas placed third.

Grammy-nominated vocalist Alvin Garrett of Birmingham, Ala., took the stage with Just a Few Cats band to wrap up the festivities.

“We had 1,300 people in attendance in 2022, so we are steadily growing each year,” Ward said. “We are looking forward to bigger and better next year for our Juneteenth Celebration’s 10th anniversary.”

For more information about the organization, visit exploremitchelville.org.