Myrtle Beach’s Juneteenth event sparks conversations about inclusion, holiday purpose
A year after Juneteenth became a federal holiday, Tiffany Andrews said conversations need to be focused around diversity and inclusion.
Andrews, who emceed the annual Juneteenth Celebration in Myrtle Beach on Saturday, introduced speakers and performers and was responsible for hyping up a crowd of people who gathered on Carver Street near Charlie’s Place.
But she also spoke about the holiday and its origins.
She told The Sun News she wanted to participate in the event because she wants people to know their history.
“...We have friends that are from other countries,” she said. “They know about their lineage. They know about where they came from. They know everything. And we’re so displaced. We don’t really know.”
Juneteenth, also known as “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day,” commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas found out they were free. That day marked more than two years since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law. The order freed slaves in the southern states.
This is the fourth year the city has celebrated the holiday, but it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday. That followed a year of nationwide protests against racial injustice in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, which sparked a renewed interest in Juneteenth.
But not for everyone. Some people were learning about the celebration for the first time.
Andrews, who works at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, said she always knew about the importance of the Juneteenth, saying her family never shielded her from her history.
“I think it’s important to celebrate it, but we have to do more than just celebrate it,” she said. “And proclamations are nice, but it’s a piece of paper.”
During Saturday’s event, people gathered in a field beside Charlie’s Place, watching performances, shopping at vendors and hanging out. That morning, the event’s first-ever parade started at the Myrtle Beach Train Depot and ended at Charlie’s Place.
Once a prominent Black club in Myrtle Beach, Charlie’s Place notably featured musical guests, such as Billie Holiday and Little Richard. The club was recognized in the Green Book, a guidebook for Black travelers and was also part of the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” a list of performance venues where Black entertainers could perform.
Now, it is owned by the city and serves as a community center and event space.
During the event, a plaque was presented to honor Charlie’s Place’s significance in Myrtle Beach history.
Kirondo Haynes, who also attended the event and performed spoken word poetry, also shared that he knew about Juneteenth by doing his own research.
“A lot of people aren’t really aware or weren’t really aware of [Juneteenth] up until recently.” So, [the event] sheds light on the situation,” he said.
Haynes, of Georgetown, S.C., has attended the event two other times. He said he enjoys going because it’s informative. However, he said more must be done, and making Juneteenth a national holiday isn’t enough.
“This is a start...” he continued. “But I think a lot of things are designed to pacify the situation, and people get complacent once things are put in place. People got to keep moving. Keep pressing forward. Because the generations after us -- a lot of them don’t know about things that are going on -- or don’t seem to care.”
He suggested some people have to confront uncomfortable truths, adding that some schools don’t even want to teach about slavery. Haynes said it’s not an opportunity to point fingers but just be honest about what’s happening.
Andrews, of Rocky Mount, N.C., said there is still much work to be done to make sure Black people are included and seen.
“When are we going to get a seat at the table? So, you can have as many Juneteenth celebrations, but until someone like you or like me is a CEO of a company that’s making decision-making powers, it’s smoke and mirrors,” she said. “We deserve more.”