City of Wheeling Sets Juneteenth Observance
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WHEELING -- Wheeling will host Juneteenth events this month to commemorate the emancipation of those enslaved in America.
Juneteenth, short for "June 19th" takes place on that date each year, and marks the date in 1865 when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were free. This news came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official on January 1, 1863.
"It's important because not only is it history, the slaves were no longer owned by anybody," explained Loma Nevels, vice chair of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission. "Therefore, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston Bay, Texas, some 2,000 enslaved Blacks were set free. There were also more than 250,000 slaves in the State of Texas. It's painful, but necessary and valuable information."
Wheeling will commemorate Juneteenth for the third time this year, and events will happen in person. The 2020 events took place virtually.
Events begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 19, with a short ceremony at the north end of Market Plaza.
The location is of special significance, as the space was once a slave auction block.
After the ceremony, live entertainment will be held at Wheeling Heritage Port featuring performances by Ezra and the Relativs, Keez, Tree of Life, Logan Wojcik, Darryl Watts and Tony Williams. Events are free and open to the public.
Wheeling's Juneteenth events have been organized by the Wheeling Juneteenth Committee, made up of representatives from Wheeling Heritage, Wheeling YWCA, City of Wheeling, Wheeling NAACP, Oglebay Institute and local leaders in the Black community.
Speakers for the event's opening ceremonies include Nevels; West Liberty University President W. Franklin Evans; West Virginia NAACP President Owens Brown; and Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott.
A commemoration of Juneteenth opens up lines of communication about slavery and race in the community, Brown explained.
"Slavery -- even today -- is an uncomforatable issue for people to talk about," he said. "To not be able to talk about slavery has kept people at a distance from each other.
"Opening up communication and talking about slavery as a part of history makes people aware of each other and the role we all played in our history. There is more awareness of each other and our history."
Commemorating Juneteenth "gives young people perspective," Brown said.
"This is history that has been taboo so long," he said. "We need to bring things out and let people know slavery is real… It was a terrible, terrible time….
"Slavery was a reality in the country and had a detrimental effect on the African American people that still is impacting society."
He commended Elliott and the city of Wheeling for initiating a Juneteenth celebration and "making things better for both Black and white people."
"When we were planning to celebrate Wheeling's 250th year in 2019, it was very important to me that we took an honest look at all aspects of Wheeling history — not just the highlights," Elliott said. "And there is no honest way to consider Wheeling history without facing the fact that we were a regional hub in the antebellum slave trade."
After consulting with Wheeling 250 Committee members such as Jay Frey, Ron Scott, Betsy Sweeny, and "the late, great Dr. John Mattox," Wheeling City Council approved a resolution in June 2019 recognizing the city's role in the slave trade and recognizing the Juneteenth holiday, he said.
"I had the opportunity to read this resolution aloud at a beautiful ceremony in the northeast corner of Market Plaza where human beings were once auctioned as slaves. It remains one of my proudest moments as mayor," he said. "At the same time, it serves as a solemn reminder that there is much more work to be done to heal the divisions emanating from this dark chapter of our history."
Sweeney, director of heritage programming at Wheeling Heritage, said when the committee began organizing Juneteenth as part of the Wheeling 250 Celebration in 2019, the intent was for it to be an annual celebration.
"Now, in 2021, we are so happy to be able to start gathering again, and celebrating in person," she said.
Scott serves as cultural diversity and community outreach director at the YWCA Wheeling, and is chair of the Juneteenth Committee. He said organizers wanted music and a sense of community with the Juneteenth celebration.
"We want to kick off this event with a ceremony, to remember those that came before us, but ultimately, Juneteenth is a celebration," he said. "That's why it is so important to incorporate music. We've all missed gathering, and this is an opportunity to gather safely in celebration.
"It would be really easy to stay feeling down right now, but this is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of the black community in Wheeling."
Those wanting more information or to get involved should contact Scott at cdcodirector@ywcawheeling.org.