Juneteenth to Kick-off with Freedom Walk

This year’s Juneteenth celebration will begin with the Juneteenth 2011 Freedom Walk, sponsored by the Stevenson Neighborhood Coalition. The walk will begin on Friday, June 17th, at 6:00pm at the Woodson Center for Excellence on Cockerell Dr. It will be an opportunity to inspire and be inspired as participants think together about what it means to be free, the history of freedom, and the injustices still present in our world today.“Freedom is not an event,” said Robert Lilly, one of the coordinators of the Juneteenth celebration. “Freedom is a journey. Walking is symbolic of the fact that we have to continue to walk this path of freedom and safeguard our freedoms through continued vigilance.”{{more}}Participants will march through the Stevenson neighborhood, stopping at stations along the way to explore different aspects of freedom – economic, political, religious, and global – as well as some of the obstacles to freedom in society. There will be speakers at each stop on the Freedom Walk, and the walk will culminate in a cook-out and open mic venue in front of St. John’s Missionary Baptist church at 798 N. Carver Street, where participants will be invited to share their own perspective on freedom through story, song, poetry, etc.The Freedom Walk’s sponsor, the Stevenson Neighborhood Coalition, is a group of concerned neighbors who are working together to make positive changes in the Stevenson neighborhood and the city of Abilene. “We are having a walk at Woodson High School concerning the freedom of each and everybody,” said long-time Stevenson neighborhood resident and member of the coalition Hattie Washington. “We invite everybody to come and join us.”The Freedom Walk will be the start of a groundbreaking Juneteenth celebration unlike the city has ever before seen. The theme for this year’s event is “A new day is rising. We were born to be free.”“There will be a legitimate, expansive program,” said Mr. Lilly, “everything from entertainment to education to community engagement. This is a new day. We honor those that came before and sacrificed for many years; we want to enhance what they are handing down to us.”Saturday and Sunday will include educational and entertaining programs: there will be air castles, poets, musicians, DJs, artists, revolutionary rappers, and speakers, as well as the food and fellowship that have long marked the Juneteenth celebration.In addition to renewing a focus on history and substantive discussion, one of the goals for this year’s event is to foster diversity.“Freedom is not just for the blacks; it’s for everybody,” said Mrs. Washington. “Juneteenth is not just for blacks. We invite everybody.”Kyle Stallard has lived in the Stevenson neighborhood since May 2010 and is a member of the neighborhood coalition. “I am excited about the new wave that the walk is riding on,” said Stallard, “a fresh perspective that seeks change through unity, awareness, and action.”