Celebrate Juneteenth in Locust Point

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

There are plenty of venues that everyone associates with Juneteenth, the celebration of African-American freedom. Now here’s a new one: Fort McHenry.
Well, maybe it’s not that new, according to Vince Vaise, chief ranger at the fort. Fort McHenry’s Fourth Annual Juneteenth celebration will be held on June 16 at 2 p.m. outside the Visitor Center. And according to Vaise, it fits right in with the fort and its mission.
“What better place to commemorate the oldest celebration of freedom and the ending of slavery than Fort McHenry?,” asked Vaise. “Did you know there was a connection between Francis Scott Key and the country of Liberia? Did you know that one of the soldiers killed at Fort McHenry was a runaway slave? Did you know that slaves and freemen helped build Fort McHenry’s defenses and played a major role in the Battle of Baltimore?”
Probably, lots of people didn’t, but Vaise and company are ready to help fill everyone in.
Activities of the day will include a wreath-laying honoring all soldiers, a tribute to the song, “Amazing Grace,” and living history presentations by Harriet Tubman and Civil War reenactors.
And since it’s not an official summer event without beauty queens, there will be the crowning of “Miss Juneteenth 2007,” presentations by Ms. Senior Maryland, Ms. Maryland, Miss Black International and Miss Teen Maryland, as well as guests from the Liberian Embassy, Ghana and Nigeria.
“Other highlights include an American flag ceremony, public singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the public reading of the Emancipation Proclamation,” added Vaise.
Whew.
To make the event even more attractive, it comes after the last day of school, allowing children as well as adults to attend. All events at the fort will be presented free of charge.
Juneteenth has become the recognized benchmark for the commemoration of the ending of slavery. According to Vaise, Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 with the news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were free. Although the celebrations certainly began in Texas, annual commemorations of the event quickly spread nationwide. Today, the holiday celebrates African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.
“It is a state holiday in Alaska, California, Delaware, Texas, New York and many others,” said Vaise. “It is an official holiday of the Baltimore Chapter of the NAACP.”
Information on the Juneteenth celebration at Fort McHenry is available by calling 410-962-4290.