Juneteenth festival set for this weekend

It started with a celebration in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, when slaves found out they were free — some 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Confederate states.

The celebration prompted by Union soldiers' delivery of the news of liberation caught on and continues today as a nationwide Juneteenth celebration of freedom.

A weeklong series of events culminates this weekend, with the 18th annual Utah Juneteenth Cultural Arts Festival in Ogden.

And while efforts earlier this year to give state commemoration to Juneteenth were unsuccessful, the publicity has helped, said Betty Sawyer, festival chairwoman and co-founder of Project Success Inc.

"We've received calls and e-mails from people who said they weren't aware of (Juneteenth)," she said. "People are learning more about it every day, and everything we do helps bring about that awareness."

The celebration, themed "The Utah African American Experience: A Journey of Purpose, Promise and Provision," continues to grow, and Sawyer hopes new awareness about the holiday's meaning will bring new faces.

"We're kicking it up with a jazz concert this year with Tom Scott," Sawyer said. There's also the Super Step & Hip Hop Competition Show on Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday's festival at the Ogden City Amphitheater.

Events include performing artists, a gospel festival, a crafts area where kids can make Father's Day gifts, food and vending booths, and a "My Special Father" recognition and award ceremony.

There also will be a petition calling on lawmakers to make Juneteenth a state commemorative day. Unlike state holidays, state offices don't close for commemorative days.

Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, hopes a petition drive could help lawmakers realize the importance of celebrating what he calls "a second independence day. ... It really solidified that America is a nation of freedom."

Hansen said he was disappointed during this past session when his Juneteenth bill never received a vote in the Senate, because of another bill dealing with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. That bill passed and, if voters approve it in 2008, the start date of the session will change so that it no longer falls on the holiday commemorating the late civil rights leader.

"I'm going to run the bill again next year," Hansen said. "It's just interesting the games they played with that bill ... they were pitting one issue against another."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com