By JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be putting on their 4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration 2022 on June 15 and June 16 at the Chester I. Lewis Plaza.
Juneteenth is the celebration of when the last group of slaves in Texas learned that they were free and that slavery had ended. Slavery ended in January 1863, yet the word of freedom did not reach the slaves in Texas until June 19, 1865.
“Here in Hutchinson, we are very familiar with emancipation, it gets celebrated the first weekend in August,” Heather Jobe NAACP Youth advisor said. “Juneteenth kind of gained national attention after the death of George Floyd. A lot of our bigger cities across the nation already had celebrated Juneteenth, but it was really the youth nationwide, that really started to make a push and give attention to Juneteenth at that time, and it is now a national holiday.”
Juneteenth was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law following the actions of civil rights activists.
The NAACP, founded in 1909, is the oldest civil rights group in the U.S. Their activities include helping with the rights and activism of other minorities, education, and even housing.
“The NAACP youth were the first ones to kind of say, ‘hey, we should have a Juneteenth here in Hutchinson,’ so the years that have followed, we've just kind of made it like their thing to let them put together and organize it and just have a great time,” Jobe said.
The Hutchinson NAACP youth’s ages range from 10 to 25.
Thursday’s Juneteenth activities will begin at 6 p.m. with welcoming remarks by NAACP Youth President Mahleah Guest and an opening prayer by Pastor Michael Jobe, NAACP Religious Affairs Chairman, as well as a few words from Hutchinson Mayor Jon Richardson.
Following that will be the talent show, organized by the NAACP, with the opening act being Alexia Jobe and Ruby Tovar-Contreras.
The talent show is free entry. Prize money will be awarded for first place in three different age categories. $25 for ages three to seven. $50 for ages eight to 12. $200 for ages 13 to 18.
Friday’s events will begin at 7 p.m.
There will be a no-charge barbecue, skits performed by NAACP Youth, and a dance performance.
Then. with weather permitting, an outside showing of the movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Both Thursday and Friday will have other activities for people to enjoy like inflatables and face-painting, among other things.
There will also be food and item vendors.
Additionally, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center will be there providing several of their services like:
Labs focused on diabetes and heart disease
Blood Pressure testing
Carotid Artery Scan, scans for artery blockage
Medicare sign up assistance
SANE services and
Mental Health Education
The United Way will be involved at the Juneteenth celebration, promoting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Also, the City of Hutchinson will be present to share information about job openings.
The NAACP Juneteenth Celebration will continue into Saturday, June 17. The NAACP Youth will be at the Farmers Market with an informational table about themselves and what they do.
Then the inner from the talent show will perform at the Farmers Market around 10 a.m.
When asked why it is important for youth of color to celebrate and promote days and events like Juneteenth in their community, Jobe said it is because they learn from it.
“There’s so much that they can gain,” Jobe said. “It’s not just the work they put into it, although they learn a lot there, but they learn how to contact people, they learn how to connect with people.
“For instance, the mayor, John Richardson, is going to kind of open it up on Thursday and they get to know those people in the community. They get to know their council members, they get to know other business owners, and it's just a great opportunity to learn all those leadership skills and sometimes public speaking skills that you don't, just do not learn in school.”
Jobe said it is very rewarding for the NAACP Youth to see that the community as a whole cared about something they did.
“Juneteenth is important to all of us, obviously that’s why the kids are doing it, but it has so much more extra value for the community because it connects our kids to our community in a way they do not get to do otherwise,” Jobe said. “They’re not given those opportunities often.”
Despite the importance of Junteenth and the Civil Rights Movement and their lasting effects for people of color, especially youth, there still exists prejudice and racism in their lives.
"Civil rights is not done,” Jobe said. “People are completely free to think and believe what they choose, that’s the beauty of living in America. I can dislike something for any reason but continuing that education and that work is incredibly important.”
To deny that racism still exists in the U.S. and to deny that civil rights is still ongoing places harm on youth.
“Some of the minority kids that I work with, they still get called names and racial slurs in school, as young as elementary school,” Jobe said. “That hurts them, that harms them, it does mental health damage when they hear that on a daily basis or when they’re bullied because of it or antagonized because of it.”
Jobe believes that a lot of adults do not realize that prejudice still exists, because a lot of them are not in those situations.
“But for these kids? It still is in their face in some ways,” Jobe said. “I think we need to teach people. It does work to teach people to respect each other. I do not have to be like you to respect you.”
For more information about the Hutchinson NAACP and their Juneteenth Celebration, visit their Facebook pages or call (620) 669-7202.
To contact the Hutchinson NAACP Youth visit their Facebook page, email them, or call (620) 474-0823.
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