MOSES LAKE — Juneteenth has only been a national holiday for a few years, but its meaning resonated deeply Thursday.
“Today we gather to honor Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when the enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed that they were free more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation,” said Miranda Bridges, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. committee. “Juneteenth is not just a date, it is a symbol of delayed but undeniable freedom, a celebration of Black resilience and a time to reflect on how far we have come and how far we must go now.” 

More than 100 people came to the celebration in McCosh Park to enjoy burgers and hot dogs, music, dancing and community spirit. Dinner was catered by Michael’s on the Lake, DJ Dale Roth spun music and Amy’s Artistic Creations painted faces. Arranged at the foot of the stage were displays outlining a period of history that’s often overlooked: the Reconstruction period immediately following the Civil War in which African Americans in the South gained monumental liberties, the rise of Jim Crow laws that took those liberties away and the fight of African Americans to regain them. 

The party started with an opening prayer from Pastor Plasido Lindsey of Galilee Baptist Church. 

“We thank you, Lord, for freedom,” Lindsey prayed. “We thank you for liberty. We thank you for a community that is community-minded and coming out today.” 

Bridges, Alanta Futrell and LaDonna Richie took the stage to explain the history of Juneteenth and remember important figures in African American history, some household names, some less known. 

“We have Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her people who led enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad,” Futrell said. “Frederick Douglass escaped slavery and became a powerful voice for abolition, equality and justice. Sojourner Truth was an activist, abolitionist and women's rights pioneer. Nat Turner led one of the most significant slave rebellions in US history. Denmark Vesey planned a large-scale slave revolt in Charleston, South Carolina. Last but not least, Ida B Wells, journalist, educator and early leader in the civil rights movement who exposed the horrors of lynching.” 

Bridges followed with a list of civil rights icons: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X. Richie finished the recitation with the names of cultural leaders: educators WEB DuBois and Booker T. Washington, historian Carter G. Woodson, poet Maya Angelou and authors Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. 

“Let us all now take a moment to pause, a moment of silence, to reflect on the lives of sacrifice, enduring strength of our ancestors,” Bridges said. “Those who endured slavery, fought for freedom and paved the way for generations that followed.” 

Two dancers with Today’s Generation Dance Studio performed next, followed by a performance of traditional Zimbabwean, Kenyan and South African music by Sheree Seretse and the Anzanga Marimba Ensemble.  

“The marimbas are very conducive for listening and very, very enticing to dance to,” Seretse told the crowd. “So, if you're not afraid, come on down and dance, and I promise I won't tell anybody that you were down here … I might even get up and dance with you.” 

This is the fourth year the committee has put on the Juneteenth celebration, and Richie said it was the largest turnout they’ve had yet. 

“We were blessed by seeing everybody out there smiling and dancing and just feeling a part of it,” she said. “We wanted to see … that unity in the community.” 

    Cassidy Pacheco, left, and Josie Wilson of Today’s Generation Dance Studio perform at the Juneteenth celebration in Moses Lake on Thursday.
  

    Sheree Seretse (center in yellow) and the Anzanga Marimba Ensemble perform traditional music from Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa at Juneteenth in Moses Lake.
  

    Theodore Bruhn, left, and Jeffrey Nwaugo, both 3, play in the grass at the Juneteenth celebration at McCosh Park in Moses Lake on Thursday.