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Racial harmony■a goal of festivalSome doubt a iasting impactBY MICHELLE DeARMOND J-W Staff WriterDespite the hopes of many local African-Americans thatSaturday’s June tee nth celebration at Clinton Park would be a catalyst for change, several people attending the celebration were skeptical.It’s a nice atmosphere, said Roosevelt Neal, who’s lived in Lawrence for nearly 14 years.But it’ll be here today and gone tomorrow he said when asked il he thought the celebration would have any lasting effects.Sharon Goolsby, a longtime Lawrence resident and member of an African-American women's group that organized the day’s events, hod a different view,It’s a way to bring everybody back together and it’s a tradition that the kids can carry on,” Goolsby said. We can educate our children about their culture and their roots . . . because knowing who you are and where you came from helps you find your future.Juneteenth is a celebration normally held on June 19 in memory of the day in 1865 when slaves were freed from the last slave state in the union, Texas.Goolsby’s organization, the Integral Sisters in Society, put on the festival Saturday to keep from interfering with other area Juneteenth activities.Some festlval-goers said they were not familiar with the purpose of the celebration and doubted there would be a lastingimpact.One man who refused to give his name and who said he moved to Lawrence from Florida a year ago said he wasn’t familiar with the celebration’s origins. He was Interested in talking about only one thing: the local police.Just look at them cops, he said as two Lawrence police officers walked around the park. They wouldn’t be here if these were white people.”But Stephanie Coleman-Marks, a member of ISIS, was pleased to see the officers.“There was a police officer here earlier who came back — when he wasn’t on duty — to just hang out,” she said proudly.Patricia Henry, a local courts services officer, viewed the festival as a positive opportunity for young people.It can give them a sense of identity with their own culture — boost th«r self-esteem,” she said. A coming together like this will certainly help.’ ’David Walker, 17, said he didn’t think the celebration I would do much to promote better j race relations. It should, but it * won't,” he said. “What can It \ do?” 5The festival included two local Jj bands that began playing in the ;! early evening. jColeman-Marks and Goolsby v said they were pleased that ap-} proximately -250 people had at- ] tended during the first seven ; hours of the celebration. !
Newspaper Details
Lawrence Journal World
Lawrence, Kansas, US
Sun, Jun 14, 1992
Page 64
Full Page
Clipped by
Lawrence P.
KS, USA 12 Oct 2021
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