The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines bill of sale as “a formal instrument for the conveyance or transfer of title to goods and chattels.” It further defines chattels as “slaves, ones that are completely subservient to a dominating influence.” These represent just a few terms that the African-American community will be reflecting upon during the celebration of “Juneteenth 2008: The Rebirth,” in the historic Five Points business and cultural center (known as The Points) in Denver.

 

Historical Significance

Juneteenth is the celebration of June 19, 1865, when slaves in Texas first received the news that Pres. Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation; which was enacted two years earlier. The document represented freedom from slavery when Gen. Gorden Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and gave the official notice that the United States military would use whatever measures necessary to enforce it.

In 1980, Juneteenth became the first U.S. paid holiday in Texas – called Emancipation Day – to be celebrated on June 19 annually. For years, only people in Texas and Louisiana knew about Juneteenth, but it is now celebrated in other parts of the country.

The celebration of Juneteenth is a reminder to the African-American community of a time when African-American slaves were regarded as property, and slave owners were legally granted absolute power of control over their “human property.” It also represents a time when the ancestors of African Americans experienced the pain of instilled fear, inhumane discipline, unconditional submission, and total dependence on another human being. 

 

Juneteenth In Denver

The “father” of Juneteenth in Denver was a gentleman from Cleburne, Texas by the name of Otha Patrick Rice (1916-1993) and known as “Otha.” Every year beginning in the early 1950s, he would put out a galvanized tub full of red pop, watermelon, and items that depicted freedom in Texas. He practiced this ritual every June 19th at his business, Rice’s Taproom and Oven at 2800 Welton St., which he sold in 1968.

In a June1993 interview, Pearl Hayes Rice said that she had never heard of Juneteenth until she married Otha, that the food and drinks were free and that everything was confined to the nightclub and restaurant.  She remembered that there was a lot of red soda pop and western attire during Otha’s Juneteenth celebration.

When illness struck Otha, Albert “Big Al” Richardson, a Dallas native, took over the celebration and it continued its growth. Big Al, who had celebrated Emancipation Day in Texas, came to Denver in 1946. His long lists of businesses in Five Points include the Minute Spot, A&J’s Coffee Shop, the Arcade and The Top Hatters Supper Club. In 1966, the Five Points Business Association (FPBA), a nonprofit organization founded in 1963 to promote economic development, collaborated with Big Al to host Juneteenth.   

Sarah Lee Foster, a former employee of Charlene’s House of Beauty located in the heart of the Points at 2820 Welton St., reflected on this time during the late ‘60s and into the ‘70s. Foster recalled the countrywide rioting and the Black Panther movement and how it was not until the late ‘70s through the ‘90s that Juneteenth peaked under the shared leadership of herself, Big Al and James E. Parker.

“Big Al took care of the streets and booths; myself and Parker did the ground work, decorations, and funding,” said Foster.

Everything about the celebration had increased, from the attendees to the sponsors. Over a three-day period, they had a senior luncheon, pageant, scholarships, Gospel Fest, and vendors.

Foster attributed their success to everyone “working as a team,” despite the lack of funding.

“We coordinated the effort without funding. We never got paid,” she said.

Nevertheless, they had the support of Mayor Federico Pena in the ‘80s and Mayor Wellington Webb in the ‘90s. Despite the fact that not all businesses supported it, Juneteenth was profitable for everyone, according to Foster. She expressed a deep sense of gratitude to the countless sponsors like Coors, Budweiser, Colorado National Bank, Norwest Bank, First Interstate Bank, Bank One, Denver Police Department, Fire Department, and many others. She felt that “without the support of the city and safety officers we could not have had the success we had.”

James E. Parker, originally from Oklahoma, came to Denver in the ‘60s. He ran the American Legion, Wally Simpson Post #29, for 18 years on the corner of 27th and Welton streets, which served as a meeting place. When asked about the race riots in the ‘70s, he recalled, “It was a rough period. Things happened that should not have happened.”

During their Juneteenth celebrations, he said, “We never had a problem.  We worked well with the fire department, the police department, and the manager of safety. The violence that did occur was due to Blacks fighting Blacks in Five Points.” 

His view on how one should handle the potential of violence at Juneteenth was based upon the philosophy of his grandfather, the former mayor of McCloud, Okla., who was involved with the event.

“I say have the celebration and if someone breaks the law, then take them to jail. That’s how my grandfather ran the city of McCloud, Oklahoma,” said Parker.

As one of the organizers of Juneteenth, Parker saw how it evolved into a celebration for all, and said in a 1998 interview with the Denver Urban Spectrum, “When I first came to Denver, Juneteenth was only celebrated by Blacks. Now people from all walks of life come to the Points to celebrate.”

He later became the president of the FPBA, with Foster as the parliamentarian, Big Al as the chairman of the board, and Ethel Allen as the historian.

Allen moved to Colorado in 1951 from Mississippi. In 1971, she opened and operated Ethel’s House of Soul, and quickly became involved with Juneteenth. She cooked for the seniors, and always had a booth and a car in the parade. She was the Grand Marshal in the 1997 Juneteenth parade.

As a business owner, she viewed the event as the ability to “see people who we hadn’t seen for years, and Juneteenth would provide ‘extra change’ to catch up on some of the bills.”

She felt the decline of Juneteenth around 2000. She remembered a shooting during the celebration, and that they had to close the street for two to three hours. When she closed the doors to her business in January this year, she said she “missed cooking, making extra change, and seeing the people at Juneteenth.”

About the rebirth of Juneteenth this year, she says “in order for it to be Juneteenth on Five Points, it’s gotta be something like we used to have to bring all those people down there.”

 

Juneteenth 2008: The Rebirth

Juneteenth 2008: The Rebirth coordinator Leslie Juniel, a lifelong community member, expressed the desire to move forward in acknowledgement and inclusion, both of which would come from a learning perspective. She acknowledged it would be a lot of work and some people within the community have had negative experiences with Juneteenth.

She has a safety team comprised of the Denver Sheriff’s Department, the Denver Police Department and private security. Her community relations team has met and will continue to meet with each business owner in Five Points to have continued communication. She welcomed them to open their businesses during the event and has assured they will not be blocked, in an effort to address past issues when some business owners felt left out of the planning loop.

She viewed historical perspectives surrounding past celebrations as learning lessons, and wanted to utilize a one-day event as a way to gauge community involvement, with the intent of extending it to a two or three-day event in the future. She defined the success of this year’s event in terms of the ability to see the smiling faces, laughter and anticipation within the crowd for next year’s event. 

Jeff “Brother Jeff” Fard, the event’s spokesperson and a native of northeast Denver, began his involvement with Juneteenth in the mid ‘80s when he booked talent for the event.  In 1994, he established Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center on 28th and Welton, as a safe place for community expression, due to the increased gangs, drugs and violence in northeast Denver. His center would have booths at the event, and the youth involved at his center were encouraged to participate in the parade.

He has seen the peaks of Juneteenth in terms of increased attendees, duration and popular entertainment. He has also seen the valleys of the event and recalled a police officer being shot, as well as the fear and intimidation that ensued within the community due to crime. He has seen the last five years of decline in the Juneteenth celebrations due to economics, violence and increased cost due to police presence needed; all of which transformed the size of Juneteenth and its location.

It was his forum, held in September ’07 that sparked Webb, president of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce and sponsor of the event, to bring back the Juneteenth celebration. Because of the demographic shift that has taken place in The Points, Brother Jeff viewed this year’s celebration as an experience for all cultures to learn about the African-American communities within the state of Colorado.

As reported in the May Denver Urban Spectrum, Webb said “We want everyone to know that the Juneteenth rebirth is real. This rebirth is almost like a re-education as well, and we’re looking forward to everyone’s participation. We want to bring people back to Welton Street to create an energy and a synergy that shows Welton Street has continued to grow. And we want to tie the past history to the new history, to let people know there are new opportunities here and everyone is invited to participate in the activity.”

 

Editor’s note: For more information or to volunteer go to www.brotherjeff.com or call 303-297-0823. For comments or suggestions, call the above number or e-mail the coordinator at juniel6@aol.com.

 

LisaMarie Martinez is a writer, spoken word artist, actress, and a master’s prepared nurse who continually seeks to find the journey of herself in the situations and people that her life has to bring.

 

(Sidebar #1)

“Juneteenth 2008: The Rebirth” is on Saturday, June 14 in the historic Five Points from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will extend from 24^th to 29^th Avenues on Welton Street. There will be three pavilions:  Children’s, Health, and History. Entertainment will include both locally well-known performers as well as not as familiar performers. There will be family activities such as a carnival, games, rides, story-telling, historical re-enactments of the African American culture, and the parade. The route of this year’s parade will begin at Fuller Park at 29^th Avenue and Williams Street and end at 24^th Avenue and Washington Street. There will be food and retail vendors as well as nonprofit organization booths.  An official program of the day’s activities and times will be handed out at the event.

For more information or to volunteer, go to www.brotherjeff.com or call 303-297-0823.

 

(Sidebar #2)

Highlights of Past Juneteenths

 

2007: Scheduled for June at City Park but cancelled by the organizers, Nineteenth of June Community Celebration, Inc. (NOJCC), and event producer Wil Alston. In September, State of Black Colorado: Town Hall Meeting - Where do we go from here?

 

2006: Saturday, June 17, in Historic Five Points Business and Cultural District, scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wil Alston festival producer and Kingdom of Glory Christian Center produced the parade. The “Report to the Community” in December 2006 by Wil Alston, deputy director of communications under Gov. Bill Ritter, cited competing festivals in Five Points as part of the reason for low attendance of only 2,500, low interest and lack of funding.

 

2002: 36th Annual Celebration, Embracing Family in America, Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16, was reduced in duration and size (23rd Avenue and Welton Street to 25th Avenue and Welton Street, and Sonny Lawson Park).  News reports of gunshots erupted during the Saturday afternoon Juneteenth celebration in Denver, causing it to be shut down on that day, and reopening the next day with heightened police presence.   

 

2000: June 16-18, and Tuesday, June 13. Marva Coleman is the FPBA Executive Director. Events included a business luncheon, senior luncheon at the Casino Cabaret, a teen dance, the Queen and King Scholarship competition, annual parade and annual Gospelfest.

 

1999: Empowering our Youth for the 21st Century. FPBA President Rosalind “Bee” Harris, Executive Director Marva Coleman. Gov. Bill Owens signs Honorary Proclamation of June 17-20 as Juneteenth Festivities Days. Mayor Webb signs Proclamation in support.

 

1998: 32nd Annual Celebration, “Reaching for the Stars in the Next Millennium” on June 17-21. FPBA President Rosalind “Bee” Harris, Executive Director Marva Coleman. The first annual Business Luncheon was held with keynote speaker Al Edwards. On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African-American state legislator.

 

1997: 31st Annual Celebration, “More Fun in 31.” FPBA President Rosalind “Bee” Harris, Executive Director Marva Coleman, Historian Ethel Allen, Board members include Sarah Foster and Big Al. Honorary Proclamation by Gov. Roy Romer and proclamation by Mayor Webb stating June 13-16 as Juneteenth Festivity Days. 

 

1992: Celebration held June 18 through June 21. Gov. Roy Romer signs a proclamation declaring June 18-21 as the official Juneteenth celebration in Colorado. 

 

1986: Gang violence erupted during Juneteenth, and Foster vowed to have law enforcement personnel working closely with organizers and hoped the public would not be dissuaded to stay away due to negative publicity from that time.

 

1983: Emancipation Proclamation Celebration, June 17-19. FPBA President James Parker, Parliamentarian Sarah Foster, Chairman of the Board Al Richardson, and Historian Ethel Allen. Federico Pena was mayor of Denver.

 

(Sidebar #3)

‘Seen’ and ‘Unseen’ Perspectives

With the location of Denver’s Juneteenth celebration in the Historic Five Points Business and Cultural Center, it became subject to the changing demographics within the neighborhood in the form of: changes in culture, connection and community.  The issues surrounding the decline of Denver’s Juneteenth celebrations involved public perceptions of violence, the resulting decline in attendance, and the downsized and subsequent relocation of the event.

Angela Evans viewed the Juneteenth parade as one of the few events that brought the African-American population together to eat and hang out. She remembered that the ‘90s was a period of violence in the form of one fight every year, and that it drove away the vendors and the people that made Juneteenth a positive experience.

Christine Fontenot felt that “even after the years of violence, the rumors of violence kept a lot of people away; they were afraid of continuing violence, bad reputation at that point. It would be nice to see it return to a full three-day weekend celebration,” she said.

Chayla Freeman went to last year’s failed event and although it wasn’t formal and organized she saw that people still showed up. To her, this year’s event appears formalized.

Author Charlene Porter viewed this year’s event as, “It’s a new time, a new day, and hopefully we’re finding ways to celebrate each other but yet coming together in new and better ways. There are a lot of people in slavery in a lot of countries, in a lot of their behavior, and attitudes; it doesn’t have to be just Black people. We need each other. If you look at all the tragedies around the world, it’s not a time to look away from each other; it’s a time to try to reach out to each other as human beings. When I was a school teacher, I wasn’t a Black school teacher teaching. I was a teacher teaching children. That’s all that mattered to them; that’s all that mattered to me. We need to find a way to each other even if we haven’t forgiven each other; we need each other. I hope that this year’s Juneteenth can be a time to celebrate, be an uplifting time, and that it brings people together.”

Lydean Crews said, “It’s unfortunate that some people have acted inappropriately and threatened people. Denver is growing, and the more we celebrate diversity the better, closer and happier our community will be.”

The unseen issues surrounding funding and change of leadership with respect to the event itself were issues mentioned by both the former and this year’s leadership teams.