Juneteenth celebration set for Saturday

The Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, in partnership with the Hot Springs MLK Committee, is hosting a Juneteenth celebration at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Hot Springs Farmers & Artisans Market featuring reenactments and the Rev. Wheeler Parker, cousin of slain African-American teenager Emmett Till, as guest speaker.

Juneteenth commemorates the 1865 announcement of the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the Confederate States of America, according to a news release from the commission.

DuShun Scarbrough, executive director of the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, said the celebration will be a good way for youngsters to both have fun and learn about history.

Parker will speak about his cousin, a 14-year-old who was killed in Mississippi in 1955. Scarbrough said there has been much discussion about Till's death, but Parker "will focus on how (Till) lived."

Another guest will be Ledura Watkins, of Detroit, who spent over 41 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Scarbrough said that when he was in law school, he participated in the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Innocence Project, which helped get Watkins freed from prison.

Watkins spoke at WMU after he was released, and Scarbrough was able to meet him and get to know him. "Found he was just a great guy," Scarbrough said.

Scarbrough said he invited Watkins to the celebration because he felt he could teach the youth the importance of forgiveness. "Who else can teach that more than him?" Scarbrough said.

Another guest will be Officer Tommy Norman of the North Little Rock Police Department.

Scarbrough said he was talking with children in the community about the event, and they asked if he could get Norman to attend. Scarbrough said he immediately called Norman, put him on speaker phone and asked if he would attend the celebration and he said yes. The children, Scarbrough said, got really excited when they heard Norman agree to come.

Scarbrough said that Norman is getting married, and his wedding party is on Saturday, but he agreed to leave his party to come speak at the event, then he will go back to his party. Scarbrough said Norman being willing to alter his plans for the celebration was a big deal for him. "That was huge," he said.

During the celebration, Norman will be presented with the 2019 MLK Juneteenth Community Service Award.

Scarbrough said there will also be historical re-enactments performed by children, noting the idea is to teach the children about the time period of the celebration, then "let them give the lesson."

There will also be bounce houses, a barbecue and a car show at the event.

The commission is hosting two other events on Saturday, including one in Little Rock at the Home and Library of Mother Annie Abrams and a third in McGehee later in the day.

The celebration will last until 7 p.m. Saturday, he said, with Parker speaking from 4:05 to 4:45 p.m., Watkins making his presentation at 4:55 p.m. and an awards presentation at 5:25 p.m.

Local on 06/14/2019

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