Juneteenth marked in Moses Lake
Juneteenth Queen Chinaza Abonyi, 13, reads the Emancipation Proclamation at Saturday’s Juneteenth event in Moses Lake.
MOSES LAKE - As Maryamu Givens narrated, a group of child performers transformed her words into actions for Saturday's Juneteenth Celebration in Moses Lake.
Givens, director of the Harambe Theater, shared some history of slavery in the United States with the audience.
When slaves were brought to the U.S., some were depressed, but others kept their dignity from Africa, she explained.
In response, the children on stage either held their heads high or dipped them down as they walked in a circle at McCosh Park.
The children then took turns reading the Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln's executive order declaring slaves free in states not controlled by the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation also permitted black soldiers to fight for the Union.
Saturday's Juneteenth event in Moses Lake was the first-ever celebration held here commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.
Different families held private Juneteenth celebrations in Moses Lake, but it was decided the event was about everyone celebrating freedom, said Givens, of the Harambe Theater.
Givens explains the theater teaches kids acting and drama. There is a princess for Juneteenth, with the requirement being that children are in transit to the next grade. This year's Juneteenth royalty is Queen Chinaza Abonyi, 13, a Chief Moses Middle School student, and Princesses Deji Gardner and Samiha Tate, both 5, who are entering kindergarten next year."The kids love it, they were in a parade (Spring Festival) for the first time," she said.
A community volunteer, Miranda Bridges, commented about the support from businesses that helped made the event possible.
"Even though it was last minute planning, a lot of businesses helped," Bridges said.
Volunteer Kathy Gardner said Moses Lake "is a warm, giving community that loves to share and wants to help."
On Sunday, Charlie Jones, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, said the event "went great."
On Saturday evening, he estimates about 200 people attended, which boosted overall attendance figures.
Many people came from Spokane and Moses Lake during the evening portion of the event.
He is hoping to keep holding Juneteenth celebrations in Moses Lake throughout the years.
"Hopefully, it will be better next year and then we'll know how to plan for it," Jones said. "It was very exciting, but we didn't realize it was going to conflict with the farmer's market. We did have to make adjustments."