Fayette to host 23rd annual Juneteenth celebration…

By Tim Jackman

In terms of the history of the Fayette celebration, I had never known or heard of Juneteenth until 2000. What I had heard of before was Emancipation or Freedom Day. In July 2000, we were appointed a new pastor at St. Paul United Methodist Church, Rev. Cheryll Doughty. She inquired if we had just celebrated Juneteenth. All members looked at her to say “what is that.“ from that point forward, was the mission of the church to establish a Juneteenth Celebration here in Fayette. So, June 2001 St. Paul hosted the very first celebration. It was a one day celebration on Saturday, June 16, on the north side of the courthouse lawn. This also happened to be the 145th year we celebrated the church’s anniversary. In the churches newsletter it was noted “There were approximately 200 participants in our Juneteenth celebration. The fellowship, fun, and funds were great! We raised almost $900. Everyone enjoyed plenty of food and fun. We are praying for an even greater celebration next year.“

The celebration has grown over the years to include a lot more participants/attendance. What started as a one day celebration is now over five days. Today, we celebrate 158 years of freedom for African Americans in this country. It has always been the churches mission to recognize diversity among all of God’s children and not just African Americans. The level of community engagement has been amazing. 

Without question we host one of the biggest and longest Juneteenth celebrations in the United States.

For more information about the event, go to: https://www.juneteenth.com/