A Weekend of Unity
Two La Grange Juneteenth Weekend Events Showcase Peaceful and Prayerful Rallies
155 years to the day after the Emancipation Proclamation was first read in Texas, about 100 people gathered on the courthouse square Friday morning in La Grange to commemorative the anniversary and call for “Unity in the Community.”
Saturday evening about 100 more folks gathered at White Rock Park for a “Unity Gathering” organized by eight recent La Grange High School graduates.
Though the venue and formats were different, the message was the same for each event – peaceful dialogue and educational opportunities are needed about race now more than ever.
Every year La Grange hosts a Juneteenth celebration on the square, but this year, against the backdrop of significant racial unrest around the country following the death of George Floyd and others by law enforcement, there was a renewed inter est in the event.
The biggest downtown Juneteenth crowd in the last several years attended what was billed as a Prayer Rally, and about 10 local pastors attended, and so did numerous local elected officials as well as members of law enforcement.
Verlia Mosley, who organized the event, began by telling the crowd, “Let’s learn something about each other today.”
Kolbe Hill, pastor of The Remnant Church gave a wel come, calling on La Grange to be a leader for unity.
Debra Stewart sang a pair of spiritual songs that drew wild applause from the crowd.
Jan Dockery, La Grange city council member said, “Let’s pray for those who make bad choices ... together we can get through this.”
La Grange mayor Janet Moerbe looked at Mosley and said “look at this crowd ... Verlia’s goal has always been unity.”
David Gilbreath, police chief of La Grange, said “I pray that we can stay united.”
County Judge Joe Weber said, “It’s great that we can come together and remember this day ... I’m the judge for everybody in this county.”
The keynote speaker was Pastor Louis Zachary of New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church began by talking about the first Juneteenth.
“155 years later the mistreatment and killing of black people has sparked protests but on this June 19 we peacefully assemble to say All People Matter, Black Lives Matter. We’re all in this together. We are all children of the most high God.”
Zachary went on to talk about details in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, citing points that guarantee “justice and equality for everyone.”
Then quoting Martin Luther King Jr, Zachary said, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children ... Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Then a moment of silence was held to honor the memory of George Floyd, during which a shower of rain fell - the only time during the event that it rained. Afterwards people hung around, visiting and picking up snacks, drinks, t-shirts and literature.
Saturday’s event also featured speeches, food and fellowship but also some more innovative twists. Several posters were hung up at White Rock Park with facts about local African-American communities and leaders as well as national statistics about fatal police shootings.
There was also a poster board which asked “Share your experience with racism” and it held several post-it notes detailing experiences locals had with racially-motivated comments and actions.