“Until the lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.”
The African proverb, which encourages people to tell their own stories before they are misconstrued by another storyteller, was shared by keynote speaker Rik Stevenson during the third annual Juneteenth celebration hosted Sunday by the African American Club of The Villages.
The goal of this year’s celebration of Juneteenth, which is today, was to commemorate the importance of Black history while celebrating freedom, unity and progress.
Juneteenth marks the anniversary of the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay, Texas, received the news that they had been set free, nearly two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“They were enslaved two more years than they should have been. We honor them by celebrating the same way they did,” said Milele Archibald, co-chair of the committee that organized the event. “We are celebrating the fact we went through trials and tribulations, but we are still here. There are still challenges and a lot of work to do.”
The club invited all residents to attend the jubilee at Rohan Recreation and bring their own food and drink while enjoying the music of DJ LLOverlord. Tables were filled with family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike, all laughing and breaking bread together.
The event was planned over the course of two months by a committee comprised of six members of the African American Club. Archibald, of the Village of Amelia, said it was important for the committee to focus on the celebration aspect of the event while educating others on Black history and those who endured slavery.
Stevenson, a University of Florida professor of African American Studies and historian who has explored sunken slave ships, stressed the importance of knowing history.
“History helps (with preparation) for how we deal with other people,” Stevenson said, adding that although history has ugly parts, it is important to be honest about events. “If we are uneducated, we can be controlled and manipulated.”
Juneteenth helped set the stage for the liberation of enslaved Black Americans, he said.
“Juneteenth was not a gift. It’s something we took,” he said. “Over 40,000 Black men died fighting in the Civil War. We died for that freedom.”
By the time the proclamation was signed, during the third year of the Civil War, more than 179,000 Black men had fought in the war.
During the event, Stevenson spoke to guests about the importance of educating youth, both inside and outside the classroom, in an effort to continue the momentum of intellectual emancipation, the right to acquire and share knowledge, that also was gained in 1865.
Prior to the history lesson, those in attendance enjoyed a praise dance by two young dancers with For His Glory Dance Ministry from Citadel of Hope in Leesburg.
Club President Debra Stevenson, of the Village of Dunedin, said this was the first time the club has included young people in the event program, but it is a tradition she would like to continue.
“We want to make sure they come and learn,” she said. “We want to educate our young people about their history.”
Imani Felton, dance instructor for the ministry and a resident of Ocala, said she was excited for the dancers to perform because they brought a focus on God to the event, and also because the keynote speaker could expose them to more information about Black history.
The value of history was a common thread among those who planned and attended the event.
“I’m a history buff,” Archibald said. “I’ve lived through the ‘60s and some of the traumas that Black people experienced at that time. We’ve progressed, but we are not where we want to be.”
She said a lot of the people at the event lived during the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s and have personal experience with the challenges Black people face.
“That’s my main point — struggles and challenges with racism, we’ve faced it before,” Archibald said. “We have a lot of work to do. We have done it before and we will do it again.”
Michael Durham, of the Village of Lake Denhem, said he almost cried during Rik Stevenson’s speech while thinking about what enslaved people went though.
“It (makes me) sentimental, especially when you think about the veterans,” Durham said. “Our history is so important.”
The club involves itself in community affairs and provides support to local youth by mentoring children and awarding scholarships.
“We try to keep our fingers in all the things around The Villages,” Archibald said. “We want to let folks know we are here. We try to make sure we are doing everything we can to be successful and we have successful people around us.”
The club will celebrate its 25th anniversary Sept. 25 at La Hacienda Recreation.
“We are celebrating how much we’ve come and grown,” Debra Stevenson said. “We started with five or six people in 1999.”
For more information on joining the club or to learn more about its upcoming events, visit taaclub.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
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