Juneteenth in Springfield will take on a new shape this year as organizers look to put on one of the city’s biggest celebrations of the national holiday through performing arts, vendors, a parade and more.
Between the “We Are One” Juneteenth Festival, which spans from June 16-18, and the Jordan Valley Park Freedom Celebration, which takes place on June 17, there will be a wide variety of events — many are free to attend — showcasing Springfield’s Black history ahead of Juneteenth, which falls on Monday the 19th.
Juneteenth, sometimes known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day or ‘second Independence Day’ celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally freed two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021.
Springfield Zone 1 City Councilmember Monica Horton explained the meaning of Juneteenth is woven into the freedoms and values many Americans hold dear every July 4.
“Celebrating Freedom Day, establishing self determination, securing citizenship and being able to be active participants in a democracy were all great steps forward and so that gives the African American community a whole lot to celebrate in terms of what freedom and independence means to us, when we did not have it in 1776,” Horton said.
We Are One will consist of events across several locations over the weekend, presented by the NAACP in Springfield, in collaboration with the Community Partnership of the Ozarks and other Springfield organizations. The Jordan Valley Park festivities are hosted by United Community Change, the Springfield Community Gardens and others.
Performances at the Art Museum
The weekend full of events will kick off Friday night at the Springfield Art Museum, with the “I, Too, Am America” exhibit, which will be performed by living history actors. The exhibit will share the history of the Harlem Renaissance, Alberta Ellis’ hotel, which has since been demolished, and Timmons Hall, the former church that currently serves as an event center in Silver Springs Park. Both the hotel and church served as important gathering places for Springfield’s Black community during segregation.
“We're bringing a history that connects not only local history, but regional and national history,” said Christine Peoples, the Timmons Hall education coordinator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.
Peoples said the living history actors will play influential civil rights activists like A. Philip Randolph and the Delaney sisters at the exhibit, due to their connection to activist Langston Hughes, who stayed at Ellis’ hotel, and whose name can still be found on the registry.
“I want to make sure that our kids, they see the bigger, fuller picture…because you kind of get stuck and you don't realize that there is a richer heritage,” Peoples said.
People said that she plans to continue the “living history” strategy in future educational programs at Timmons Hall. The live history performance will take place at 5 p.m. at the Art Museum, which is located at 1111 E. Brookside Drive in Springfield.
The story of Milly Sawyers
Following the “I, Too, Am America” exhibit is “The Milly Project.” The play tells the story of Milly Sawyers, a slave who successfully sued for her freedom in Springfield and was subsequently attacked by some of the city’s founders.
Sawyers’ story surfaced in 2018, first told by the Springfield News-Leader upon discovery of documents by archivist Connie Yen.
The Milly Project has won national awards and been played in film festivals around the nation. Kendra Chappell, a former theater teacher at Willard High School and the director of the play, has since moved away from the Springfield area, but is looking forward to bringing the production back for Juneteenth.
“(Sawyers) basically is the freedom fighter for Springfield, Missouri, before it was even a city — it was Greene County,” Chappell said. “I find that hopeful, I find that ingenious, working beyond and within what's given to you.”
While the film adaptation of the Springfield-based play continues to be shown around the country, the cast will travel around Missouri to perform live to celebrate Juneteenth in Kansas City, St. Louis and St. Joseph.
“I think it has the seeds of truth, of tragedy and of celebration that may open the doors to an understanding…It can bring light to darkness and light to what's already been revealed and celebrated,” Chappell said. “It's a celebration of Juneteenth.”
“The Milly Project” will be performed live at 6 p.m. June 16 at the Art Museum.
Both the “I, Too, Am America” exhibit and “The Milly Project” are free to attend.
The museum will also feature work in its “Creating an America Identity” exhibit by David Driskell, a well known artist and art historian, who helped establish African American art as a field of study, and give out “project bags” based on the exhibit on June 16 and 17.
Vendors, a parade, live music to round out Juneteenth celebrations
“We Are One” continues Saturday at the Springfield Expo Center from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., where there will be live music, food, bounce houses and 70 different vendors. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to sign Alberta Ellis’ hotel registry book and experience some firsthand history.
Horton, Mayor Ken McClure and Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Grenita Lathan, among others, will provide remarks. The NAACP will issue awards and scholarships honoring Black excellence in Springfield.
“We Are One” will cap things off on Sunday, June 18, with Southern rappers Nappy Roots. The group will perform at the Riff at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. The Riff is located at 1900 W. Sunshine Street.
Juneteenth takes on “new meaning”
Both Sutton and Horton have noticed growth in attendance and interest in the meaning of Juneteenth over the last several years in Springfield. The heightened interest contributed to the growth of the celebration into three event-filled days for We Are One.
“It’s definitely grown over the years,” Sutton said. “It creates excitement for the community.”
“That new meaning, I would say happens in 2020,” Horton said. “I would say that COVID as well as what we call the racial reckoning of 2020, as a result of the protesting and the uprising in 2020 really gave rise to Juneteenth having a new meaning and, and I think that that was the catalyst that allowed for us to have it as a national holiday.”
Horton hopes to continue to advance that newfound meaning and energize the public to celebrate Juneteenth.
Passport through Springfield’s history
Until June 18, celebrants can participate in an educational scavenger hunt by picking up the “I, Too, Am America” history passport at any Springfield-Greene County Library or Barnes and Noble.
The passport lists a set of tasks to explore the history of the African American community in locations around Springfield. Participants’ completion of the list, with signatures from each location, become instant winners and will be entered into drawings for additional prizes at the Expo Center. The activity can be joined by downloading the Goosechase app and using the code “RD36LK.”
“We're coming together, we're celebrating freedom, we're acknowledging our history, we’re educating others, we’re celebrating others for their accomplishments as well,” said Kai Sutton, the president of the NAACP of Springfield. “It's been a beautiful experience. We're excited, definitely excited for this year because this will be the first time that it's been a weekend event, to kind of see how it all unfolds, all the hard work that everyone has put in collectively, we're all really looking forward to it.”
Peoples emphasized the significant amount of collaboration that went into putting the We Are One events together. In addition to the NAACP and the CPO, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Springfield, among many others have contributed to planning and organizing Juneteenth celebrations.
Just down the street, United Community Change’s Jordan Valley Freedom Celebration will also feature a plethora of festivities, including a 5k Freedom Run/Walk and a parade.
Packet pickup for 5k begins at 6:30 a.m., with the run/walk starting at 8 a.m.; prior registration is required. The parade will last from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., followed by live music, a raffle, a farmers market, food and games from 2-8 p.m. at Jordan Valley Park, located at 635 E. Trafficway. More details are available on the United Community Change Facebook page.
Editor's Note: The story was corrected to clarify details of the exhibit featuring David Driskell's work.
