Juneteenth memorializes struggle

American slavery is thought to have ended when President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation Jan. 1 1863, but slavery continued in much of the South until June 19, 1865 when Texas slaves were the last to hear word of their law-abiding freedom.\nLess than 150 years later hundreds of community members from all walks of life convened Saturday at Bryan Park to pay homage to black forefathers who helped build the U.S. from the ground up, despite shackles around their ankles and whip marks lashed into their backs. \nBloomington's Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, a day to memoralize the June 19, 1865 end to slavery and the beginning of realized democracy despite continued segregation in America, offered Hoosiers booths of African attire, foot-stomping music, spoken word poetry and soul food from local vendors. \nIU microbiology graduate student Adrian Land, who is also a member of the historic black fraternity Omega Psi Phi, said he attended the Juneteenth Freedom Celebration with his fraternity brothers to help promote campus unity, not just for black people, but for everybody. He said he is from Mississippi and he attended Alcorn State University, a small historic black college where everybody lives on campus.\n"IU is so huge of a university it's easy to get lost in the crowd," Land said. "One of the major challenges for myself is it's sometimes hard because I'm seen as the exception and not the rule because of my background, and I'm in a field of science where black people are underrepresented. Most people are surprised when I tell them what I do but education balances out a lot of inequality."\nBloomington resident Gary Cushinberry, owner of the Worlds Fare, 342 S. Walnut St., said he attended the Bloomington Juneteenth Freedom Celebration for the third time in as many years to share "soul food" with freedom-loving community members. His menu included African curry goat with fufu, fried chicken, jambalaya, beans and rice, macaroni and cheese with cornbread and a chocolate fondue fountain.\n"Soul food is indicative of African traditions and because our restaurant is a world store we serve the purpose of the Juneteenth Freedom Celebration everyday," Cushinberry said in front of a wok-like deep fryer. "We thought we would give a home-cooked meal with flavors that will excite you and make you warm inside. The flavors really capture your imagination and that is pretty important. If your imagination gets the flow it makes you think about other cultures because of the food."\nHe said he dished out more than 100 pounds of chicken wings, 25 pounds of goat curry and 25 pounds of rice and beans to about 400 guests.\n"I totally believe in my heart I have African roots and my ancestors were slaves brought to America on slave ships," he said while a chorus of vocal chords and drum thumps energized the festival audience into a gyrating frenzy. "Through language, music and food we are able to subliminally understand our roots. For example, do you hear those drum beats? If you feel some pulse then it opens your spirit, opens your intellect to more ideas."\nVanessa F. McClary, lt. governor of the Kiwanis Hoosier Division whose business card says "one can make a difference," said she attended the Bloomington Juneteenth Freedom Celebration to get the word about Kiwanis International, a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.\n"We help the children of our community develop leadership skills through service," she said. "They are learning how to function as leaders in our community."\nMcClary said a local group of Kiwanis middle school kids raised $2,491 for Hurricane Katrina relief from two car washes and accompanying bake sales. She said wants to start a high school Kiwanis Key Club so teenage Hoosiers can obtain college scholarships to IU, Purdue, Ball State and the University of Arizona among others community members have missed out on thus far. \n"Our philosophy is our kids in our community need our help I don't have much time to volunteer but I make time because it's our job as parents and community members," McClary said. "If we don't do it who will, and if we don't do it now when will we? We don't have the time to sit around and think about it because our kids face choices everyday. To help the children of the world we need to start in this community"