Honoring the Past, Present and Future on Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates the liberation of African Americans from enslavement on June 19, 1865 in Galveston Bay, Texas. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation taking effect two years prior, not all enslaved African Americans in Confederate territory were freed. It required around 2,000 Union soldiers to march into Galveston Bay, Texas and announce that all enslaved persons in Texas were to be freed from enslavement by executive decree. Subsequently, the formerly enslaved people memorialized the day as Juneteenth. The story of Juneteenth invites us to consider how freedom is a constant struggle and practice of sharing the “good news.”

On Sunday, June 18, Grace, Silver Spring’s Racial Justice Ministry–Wade in the Water–conducted an educational forum on Juneteenth. Speakers were Gabby Whitehurst of the Diocesan Committee on Reparations, and Keith Allen, who grew up in Galveston Bay, Texas, celebrating Juneeteenth.

Keith shared the story of Harrison Barrett (1845-1917), who was born enslaved and received the news of his freedom in June 1865 in Texas. Following his emancipation, he searched for his family members and discovered all except for his sister. In 1889, Barrett purchased the largest settlement of land to be acquired by a formerly enslaved person in Harris County, Texas. In 1947, a school was built on the settlement and named in his honor. You can learn more about Harrison Barrett’s story here.

Gabby Whitehurst presented on Juneteenth and prompted audience members to reflect on the holiday in light of the changing times. Whitehurst evoked the blues, memory, and soul to help members of Grace process history constructively. Whitehurst shared a quote from African American literary scholar Ralph Ellison, in consideration of our challenging and complex history in the U.S. that reads, “The blues is an impulse to keep the painful details and episodes of a brutal experience alive in one’s aching consciousness, to finger its jagged grain, and to transcend it, not by the consolations of philosophy but by squeezing from it a near-tragic, near-comic lyricism.”

Following the forum, Grace conducted their worship service using the African American hymnal and following the lead of an African American choir. Missioner for Equity and Justice, Rudy Logan, preached over Matthew 9:35-10:8 in the context of Juneteenth. Rudy shared that Juneteenth invites us into constant remembrance, anonymous love, and living out our discipleship to bring about a harvest for all to experience. Following the service, Grace, Silver Spring partnered with St. Matteo, Hyattsville, to facilitate a food distribution.

The Church of the Epiphany, DC also held a Juneteenth celebration, hosting saxophonist Irvin Peterson and organist David Houston, who performed music of Leo Sowerby, Paule Maurice, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, among others. You can find the video of Irvin Peterson and David Houston’s performance at Epiphany below in the resources section. The celebration also included performances by liturgical dancer P.J. Green-Young, drawing on “Sounds of Blackness: Sunup to Sundown” and “The Drum”, and poets C. Etta Powersand Angie Whitehurst, who performed their respective works titled, “1863” and “Juneteenth.”

Parishes across the Episcopal Diocese of Washington remind us that Juneteenth isn’t just a moment of celebration but an ongoing process of remembering and journeying for the realities of freedom. May we honor those denied freedom and delayed justice in our justice work and all ministries. Contact Missioner for Equity and Justice, Rudy Logan if you are interested in sharing about your parish’s Juneeteenth celebration, or have interest in holding Juneteenth celebrations going forward.

Contact: Rudy Logan, Missioner for Equity and Justice