Camden’s Juneteenth celebration includes play, music, good food
Betty Anderson hosted her annual Juneteenth Celebration at her home in downtown Camden on Monday, June 19.
The event was held in connection with the federal holiday commemorating the freeing of Texan slaves in 1865, two years after the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln.
Bad weather conditions forced Anderson to move her front-yard event inside. Still, she welcomed more than 50 people into her home with guests covering every inch of the charming, quaint cottage.
Anderson has helped host an annual Juneteenth program in Camden since 2010, long before the official declaration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. The holiday, she said, challenges the citizens of Wilcox County to reflect on what occurred in the past so that history isn't forgotten. She added that Juneteenth is as an opportunity to educate whoever is willing to learn.
A highlight of the 2023 event was a presentation, written by Anderson and acted out by the children of the Vredenburgh Youth Program, featuring “Gee’s Bend Stories.” This descriptive play focused on the interconnected lives of slaves on a plantation, their roles and duties and, for a couple of characters, their lives before slavery.
Anderson, inspired by a novel she had read based in North Carolina, decided to put an Alabama spin on the story and changed her play’s setting to a plantation in Gee’s Bend.
To further personalize her theatrical variation, she added realistic elements within the play connected to her own life, including the Gee’s Bend plantation house, and one character whose existence was far more than mere fiction
“The cook’s story was true—that character was real. My grandmother used to tell me about her,” stated Anderson. “Her name was Emma. She came down to the Gee’s Bend plantation, and she lived in a little shed behind the ‘big house.’ She was real.”
Anderson’s grandmother often told her about what life was like during slavery. One piece of information she once revealed about their ancestors stuck with her, driving her to author her own version as a play.
“My great-great-grandparents walked 700 miles from North Carolina to Gee’s Bend. My great-grandfather was 7 years old, and his father was 30-something. And, strangely enough, they walked from the same exact county that the book was based on,” she said.
While the Juneteenth Celebration centered on the “Gee’s Bend Stories,” the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Choir, visiting from Prattville, Alabama, treated the audience to a variety of African American gospel and spiritual songs.
Some were classics familiar to all, and others, though old, experienced rebirth during the performance. Strong harmonies began and ended the program, and the choir sang songs after each child read the life story of their assigned character.
The music proved to be a successful means of unifying every audience member who joined together and, according to a few attendees, was the highlight of the event.
Nancy Ziccardi, a local artist and dancer from Selma, Alabama, described the experience as somber but edifying. “I liked the harmonizing—it felt spiritual,” Ziccardi said. “It was heavy… really heavy.”
Attendee James Ephraim Jr., former pastor of First United Presbyterian Church and family friend of Anderson, said, “There’s a teaching component to what Betty is doing. Something I’ve come to understand about teachers and educators is that a good teacher tells you where to look but doesn’t tell you what to see.”
He added, “So, what she does is tell people where to begin looking—how to begin—and this opens the door for self-education. You can see for yourself how things are connected and thus learn how to think for yourself about the things that go on around you.”
However, Ephraim also clarified why celebrating the holiday is beneficial. “It’s imperative that we have something that draws us together collectively—that draws other people in,” he explained. “It’s the joy, fun and laughter of celebrating that attracts a person’s initial interest. But soon, they’ll want to dig deeper and discover what it all really means.”
These aspects also encourage a sense of community and brings closer people who share a world of differences, he added.
At the end of the program, everyone gathered in Anderson’s kitchen for dinner. Guests enjoyed a feast consisting of a wide selection of food, from classic southern comfort foods to traditional African cuisines and colorful vegetarian eats, made and served by Anderson and her co-hosts.
After being served, attendees spent the rest of the evening enjoying their meal and discussing their favorite moments from the gathering. People who had never met before chatted away like old friends and laughed together like close family.
Despite the bad weather conditions, or perhaps owing to them, one could truly call this year’s Juneteenth celebration a success.
After being served, attendees spent the rest of the evening enjoying their meal and discussing their favorite moments from the gathering. People who had never met before chatted away like old friends and laughed together like close family.
Despite the bad weather conditions, or perhaps owing to them, one could truly call this year’s Juneteenth celebration a success.
Tags: Camden
