Juneteenth 2025 By Nuzhat Shahzadi

       

                          

 

(I photographed it from Google-search page)

 

Saturday morning began in a leisurely style. My son and his family were vacationing in Dhaka. My granddaughters, Izara and Raya, were gone for weeks. Getting out of the house was the best way to manage their absence . . .

As I took the bend in the road towards the park, I stumbled upon the parade-participants getting ready for the Juneteenth celebration. They were gathering on the Vienna Town green/the street adjacent to the Church. Cheerful voices, beaming faces, dazzling colors greeted me with genuine warmth. I was hesitant about joining the parade. A part of me wanted to but it was really getting hot. Sizzling missile-sunrays oozed down from the sky. I decided to mingle, rather. I met with the parade Queen. I told her I wanted to photograph her to show Izara.

"I will tell her about slavery––their hard struggles to be free," I promised.

"Of course! It's a happy day . . . a day that reminds me justice is possible. Fairness can exist," she said.

Parade Queen 1  

 

"Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States . . . Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas."(Google).

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom from slavery in the U.S. and is often considered the nation's second Independence Day.

I spoke with democratic party hopefuls with their banners, campaign promises. They came to the parade surrounded by young campaigners, and supporters.

"It's time to challenge the status quo . . . bring meaningful change for our constituents," stated a young, Asian-American candidate. GOP was totally absent.

Parade Queen 2

 

White Queen displaying 14 Amendment

 

Queen with parade dignitaries in car

 

Pink car leading parade (Izara would have loved this!)

Parade: street view 1

 

Parade: street view 2

 

14 Amendment pickup joined parade

 

Queen 1 in parade car

Friendly police participates

 

Police securing safety