This is how Bellingham will celebrate Black American history and culture on Juneteenth
Bellingham’s Juneteenth celebration — which marks the end of slavery for Black Americans — returns this weekend after last year’s pandemic cancellation and a nationwide reckoning on systemic racism.
This year’s event takes on further significance as President Joe Biden plans to sign a bill Thursday, June 17, to make Juneteenth a national holiday.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure making Juneteenth a paid state holiday starting in 2022, The Associated Press reported. In 2007, the Legislature designated Juneteenth as a day of remembrance.
The free local celebration is from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Maritime Heritage Park.
Spectators are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic dinner for a program featuring music, dance and speakers.
Terrance “TeeJay” Morris, who organized the massive Bellingham rally on June 6, 2020, to mourn the murder of George Floyd, said he hopes this year’s Juneteenth takes a celebratory tone.
“It’s going to be like big party,” Morris told The Bellingham Herald in an interview.
“I hope that people will come together again as an inclusive community and celebrate freedom,” he said. “It’s important that I see it resonate with other people. For me, it’s another holiday, like Christmas.”
Morris, who was born in Barbados, said he learned historical truths about the genocidal institution of slavery that aren’t taught in American schools.
“We can say that (Juneteenth) is Black history. But it’s really American history,” he said.
Juneteenth is named for the time it took Union soldiers to tell slaves in Confederate states that they were free.
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation by executive order on Sept. 22, 1862, in the midst of the Civil War.
By the time the war ended on May 9, 1865, Union troops had already begun freeing slaves throughout the South.
But it took until June 19, 1865, for the last slaves in Texas to learn of their freedom.
Modern Juneteenth celebrations began a year later in Texas, according to historical records.
“You dress your best on this day,” Morris said.
Music and food are essential to Juneteeth, and it’s no coincidence that June is Black Music Appreciation Month.
In popular culture, shows like Netflix’s new “High on the Hog” trace the roots of African cuisine and its impact on American society.
“The food follows the colors of the (African). You have to have something on your plate that’s black, red and green,” Morris said. “It’s honoring our ancestors. They took care of the land and they died on the land.”
That’s why barbecued meat, collard greens and red velvet cake are on traditional Juneteenth menus, he said.
This year’s Juneteenth will focus on the range of Black music, featuring local artists performing in genres made uniquely American by the descendants of slaves: gospel, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, rap and hip-hop.
Cosmos Bistro and the Bellingham Food Co-op’s deli counter are featuring special meals for the event.
“It’s one day to celebrate freedom,” Morris said. “ If we aren’t all free, we’re not free. My liberation is your liberation,” Morris said.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
