Southern Maryland Residents Celebrate Juneteenth At Jefferson Patterson Park

ST. LEONARD, Md. – On Saturday, June 17^th, the Calvert County NAACP held their annual Juneteenth celebration at Jefferson Patterson Park in Saint Leonard, Maryland. During this event, Calvert County residents of all backgrounds come together to celebrate the emancipation of the last African American slaves.

“Juneteenth gives us a time each year when we can come together as a community regardless of race and ethnicity”, said Calvert NAACP President Michael Kent.

For those who might not know, Texas was the last state to own slaves two and a half years after the end of the Civil War. News of emancipation did not arrive in the state until Major General Gordon Granger brought the news on June 19, 1865.

The first celebration occurred in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1866. Over 100 years later, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, officially recognizing the date as a federal holiday.

The celebration consisted of a number of activities and attractions, such as a petting zoo, a car show, and food trucks. Several vendors selling/giving away merchandise and service information to those in attendance. These vendors included CCPS Head Start, Concerned Black Women, Calvert Democrats, Calvert County Historical Society, Calvert Library, and many more. Also in attendance were the Calvert Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office.

Guests were also treated to performances by Music of Motown, a Motown Tribute Band, as well as an iteration of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, written by James Wheldon Johnson in 1900.

Organizers of the event collected soil from willing donors as well for a ceremonial “Return Passage”, a practice in which collected soil is sent back to Ghana, Africa.