Emancipation Celebration

People cheered and a car horn blared as the parade for Bloomington’s 10th annual Juneteenth celebration turned into the parking lot of Bryan Park on Saturday.\nThe day’s festivities began with a parade from the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center to the park. After the parade, the smell of grilled food wafted over a crowd of about 100 students and community members as they gathered to talk, eat and learn about different black organizations on campus.\nJuneteenth, which began in Texas in 1865 and celebrates the emancipation of black slaves in 1863, isn’t an officially recognized celebration in Indiana. But event organizer Sachiko Higgins-Kante said about 300 to 500 people attend the celebration in Bloomington each year. \n“The people here aren’t just African-Americans,” said Virginia LeBlanc, president of the Bloomington alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. “They’re from all walks of life.” \nUnder one tent, booths featured various organizations, sororities and fraternities on campus. \nUnder another traditional African clothing, carvings and drums were sold. Virginia LeBlanc, president of the Bloomington alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, said the celebration has grown by word of mouth but still isn’t well-known in Indiana.\n“More people should know about Juneteenth,” she said, adding that many people may not know about the day because history is largely not told through diverse views.\nThe celebration’s lineup of events included speeches, including one from a representative for the mayor, a King and Queen pageant and a clown. \nSenior DeOndray Pope said he helped set up the parade and has been involved with Juneteenth since he came to IU four years ago. He said he enjoys seeing members of the community come together for the celebration each year.\n“I enjoy the fellowship... just the laughter we’ve had,” he said.\nLeBlanc said during the parade she talked to a sorority sister who is from Mississippi and had never wanted to celebrate Juneteenth because it started two years after blacks were freed from slavery. Despite this, Higgins-Kante said freedom is always a good thing to celebrate.\n“It’s important to acknowledge the day and acknowledge the fact that it happened,” she said.