WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., June 14, 2021 — West Liberty University will be well-represented in local Juneteenth commemorations as President W. Franklin Evans provides his comments at two celebrations on June 19.

Both are free and open to the public.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, according to the website Juneteenth.com.

From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19 as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the country.

President Evans will take part in the Underground Railroad Museum’s 11 a.m. ceremony at Shuler Park, Flushing, Ohio and also will speak at the 5 p.m. ceremony held in Wheeling later that day.  

The Underground Railroad Museum event includes speeches, tours, vendors and more and takes place from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., according to Kristina Estle, director of the museum.

Guest speakers and topics at the Flushing celebration include:

• John Mattox Jr., chairman of museum board, welcome and introduction
• Kristina Estle (in historical costume), slavery and the history of Juneteenth
• Thomas Buckley, museum volunteer and Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable member, the Emancipation Proclamation
• Roger Micker, president of the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable, reenactment of U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issuing General Order No. 3, which informed Texas that all enslaved people were now free.
• Video of Sara Lucy Bagby story, the last slave in the United States prosecuted under the Fugitive Slave Act
• Margaret Brennan, Wheeling historian, Wheeling as the last stop for slavery
• W. Franklin Evans, WLU president, society’s progress since the emancipation

Estle also notes that the winners of the Poetry Contest for middle school age students will read their poems and receive prizes during the event. The Flushing celebration will also be available virtually on topperstation.com.

The Wheeling celebration begins at 5 p.m. at the North end of Market Street Plaza, the historical location of a former slave auction block in the 19th century. Speakers and topics for the opening ceremonies in Wheeling include:

• Glenn Elliott, mayor of the City of Wheeling, greetings and welcome
• Owens Brown, president of the West Virginia NAACP, history of Juneteenth
• Loma Nevels, vice chair of Wheeling’s Human Rights Commission, the present meaning of Juneteenth
• President Evans, future expectations in light of Juneteenth

Music, food and entertainment will follow the opening ceremony and will be located at Wheeling’s Heritage Port. Performers and times include:

• Tree of Life choir, 6:15 p.m.
• Ohio Valley African American Students Association Scholarships presentations, 6:30 p.m.
• Logan Wojcik, country music, 7 p.m.
• Keez, R&B, 7:30 p.m.
• Ezra & The Relativs, 8 p.m.

Wheeling’s Juneteenth events were organized by the Wheeling Juneteenth Committee, made up of representatives from Wheeling Heritage, Wheeling YWCA, City of Wheeling, Wheeling NAACP, Oglebay Institute and local leaders in the Black community.

“We want to kick off this event with a ceremony, to remember those that came before us, but ultimately, Juneteenth is a celebration,” said Ron Scott, chair of the Juneteenth committee. Scott is a WLU alumnus and serves as the cultural diversity and community outreach director at the YWCA Wheeling.

“That’s why it is so important to incorporate music. We’ve all missed gathering, and this is an opportunity to gather safely in celebration. It would be really easy to stay feeling down right now, but this is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of the black community in Wheeling.”