NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, TX (KTRE) -
Hundreds gathered in downtown Nacogdoches for
a day of celebration and remembrance.
"There's hope in this day and in the
celebration because so many of our young people are wandering away from our
roots," said Maye Ham, President, African-American Heritage Project.
This weekend's Juneteeth event celebrated
when black slaves in Texas got the news slavery ended two years earlier.
"It's a reminder that our forefathers
were slaved and freed. We talked to some young people and some older people in
their 30's and 40's who didn't know about Juneteenth or had never been to a
celebration," said Charlotte Stokes, President, Progressive Leadership
Group.
Saturday's celebration also served as a
reminder for future generations to never forget where they've come from.
"We're not going to find very much of
this in our text books in school, so its up to us to have our grandkids and the
next generation know the significance of the holiday," said Ham.
Event organizer Charlotte Stokes helped
revive the parade and festival five years ago, she believes everyone has a
responsibility to their heritage. With so many resources available, the next
generation should take it upon themselves to look into their history.
"We want to encourage them and all of
them can Google and get on facebook and all those kinds of things we encourage
them to do that so they can learn more about their black heritage," said
Stokes.
"We have to find different ways to keeps
them interested in our history and those events in our history are important to
us," said Ham.
Organizers hope that what people learn today,
will ignite a spirit of remembrance and motivate them to keep the tradition
alive.
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