Lewisburg to host its first Juneteenth Celebration
On June 19, 1865, federal troops, led by General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas taking control of the state and ensuring that all enslaved people were freed. That day became an annual celebration and the name Juneteenth was created (shortened for June 19th). It is a day to be celebrated by all who recognize the importance of freedom. In conjunction with the Greenbrier Historical Society, we have planned an evening to highlight the historical significance of the day.
Yvonne Jones | Juneteenth Steering Committee
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According to a press release, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, the celebration will be marked with an exhibit review and remarks from Maurice Cooley. Details are as follows:
6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.: Keynote Speaker – Maurice Cooley in the Old Stone Room at Carnegie Hall
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: 'Echoes of Slavery' Exhibit Review at the Greenbrier Historical Society North House Museum.
Maurice Cooley is the former Associate Vice President of the Marshall University Office of Intercultural Affairs, now retired.
Juneteenth recognizes both the pain of the past and the hope for a more just future. As we honor this day, we also lift up the stories of the Black community in Greenbrier County whose lives, labor, and legacies helped shape the region even in the face of injustice and exclusion
Janice Cooley | Board of Directors, Greenbrier Historical Society
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On June 21, 2025, the Juneteenth Steering Committee is set to hold a celebration at Dorie Miller Park, located on Feamster Road in Lewisburg, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., the release stated.
Juneteenth is a time of celebration. It is also a time of reflection upon the stony road we have trodden. The festival provides an opportunity to fellowship with family, friends, and neighbors. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Dallas Jones | Juneteenth Steering Committee
The event will also have food and drinks, entertainment, information booths, in addition to crafts and games for guests to enjoy. Health screenings will also be available thanks to the Rainelle Medical Center.
Entertainment will be provided by DJ Lauryn Trill, The Resurrection Praise Community Choir, J-Mane, and local gospel singers.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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So you really didn't see a changing in that narrative until recently.' There has often been a lack of diverse voices discussing how the history of the Buffalo Soldiers is framed, said Michelle Tovar, the museum's director of education. The current political climate has put enormous pressure on schools, including those in Texas, to avoid honest discussions about American history, she said. 'Right now, in this area, we are getting pushback from a lot of school districts in which we can't go and teach this history," Tovar said. "We are a museum where we can at least be a hub, where we can invite the community regardless of what districts say, invite them to learn it and do what we can do the outreach to continue to teach honest history.' Historians scrutinize reclamation motive Beyoncé's recent album 'Act II: Cowboy Carter' has played on a kind of American iconography, which many see as her way of subverting the country music genre's adjacency to whiteness and reclaiming the cowboy aesthetic for Black Americans. Last year, she became the first Black woman ever to top Billboard's country music chart, and 'Cowboy Carter' won her the top prize at the 2025 Grammy Awards, album of the year. 'The Buffalo Soldiers play this major role in the Black ownership of the American West,' said Tad Stoermer, a historian and professor at Johns Hopkins University. 'In my view, (Beyoncé is) well aware of the role that these images play. This is the 'Cowboy Carter' tour for crying out loud. The entire tour, the entire album, the entire piece is situated in this layered narrative.' But Stoermer also points out that the Buffalo Soldiers have been framed in the American story in a way that also plays into the myths of American nationalism. 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It is a message that tells you not only is it a virtue to have been born in this country, but the longer your line extends in this country, the more virtuous you are.'
