A cheer erupted from the crowd of about 50 people gathered in the city park Friday afternoon as a flag — red and blue with a white star in the center — reached the top of a tall, metal flagpole.
Most of the crowd held their own miniature versions of the flag and waved it back and forth in celebration.
It was a moment of joy, but also a moment of memory. It was a declaration of freedom, but also a reminder that the fight for freedom and equality continues.
The city of Reading celebrated Juneteenth on Friday by raising the official Juneteenth flag. This holiday marks the day – June 19, 1865 – when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform the slaves there of their emancipation.
The slaves in Galveston were the last to hear of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had freed all enslaved people in the United States two and a half years earlier.
Friday’s flag raising served to kick off a weekend of activities in honor of Juneteenth.
Dr. Camil Culbreath, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Reading School District, delivers the keynote address during a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony Friday in City Park. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)
During the ceremony, several local leaders spoke about the meaning of Juneteenth and its impact on the country. They also spoke about how the holiday should serve as a call to action, reminding attendees that upholding freedom requires constant vigilance.
Stacey Taylor, president of the NAACP Reading Branch, said voting plays a key role in the ongoing fight for freedom, saying generations of Black people fought, bled and died so that their descendants would have the right to vote.
“Please, please, vote this year,” she said, adding that she believes there has been an attack on people’s rights — especially women’s reproductive rights — in recent years. “Be part of what’s happening. It is critical that we get involved in the process.”
State Sen. Judy Schwank shared a similar sentiment, asking the crowd to imagine what life was like immediately after June 19, 1865. It was the Jim Crow era, she said, a time when former slaves were disenfranchised.
“That’s what this country has done,” said the Ruscombmanor Township Democrat, describing it as stealing people’s right to vote. “We should never take that for granted.”
Schwank said the country can do better. And while it’s important to acknowledge the struggles of the past, she said, Juneteenth is also a time when it’s important to think about how we can improve the future.
State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz also emphasized the power of voting in rousing remarks that drew cheers from the crowd. The Reading Democrat shared that Pennsylvania currently has its first female and second Black Speaker of the House of Representatives: Joanna McClinton.
“Representation matters,” she said.
Cepeda-Freytiz encouraged the crowd to ensure children are educated about the importance of voting and making their voices heard. She said while much progress has been made, the fight for equity and equality continues.
“There is still so much work ahead of us,” she said.
City Councilman Wes Butler shared comments also calling for action. But his plea was slightly different, slightly more focused.
Speaking about young black men in Reading and Berks County, he encouraged those at the ceremony to take action if they see them going down the wrong path.
“Please put our arm around them and guide them,” he said.
Mayor Eddie Moran praised the strength and enduring spirit of the Black community during his speech Friday. He called Juneteenth “a day of enormous significance in our history,” and a reminder of the complexities and difficulties in the country’s path to equality.
“As we raise this flag, let us also raise our voices in recognition of the ongoing struggle for equality and justice,” he said.
The keynote speaker at Frida’s event was Dr. Camil Culbreath, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Reading School District. Her comments echoed many of those made by other speakers, calling for both remembrance of the past and action in the future.
Dr. Camil Culbreath, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Reading School District, delivers the keynote address during a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony Friday in City Park. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)
She said she spoke to several students in the Reading School District in preparation for her speech. Although some knew about Juneteenth, she found that many men did not have a good understanding of the holiday’s history.
“We all know that knowledge is power,” she said, calling for greater inclusion in history curriculum that truly tells the story of Black, Hispanic, Asian and other Americans. “There shouldn’t be different hyphenated histories, it’s all one continuous story.”
For more information about Juneteenth events in Reading and Berks, visit facebook.com/JuneteenthReadingPA.
