(l t r), D'metrea Barkus. Chief Phillip Barkus, Windy Goodloe (author) and Gary Wallace
The lead-up to our annual Juneteenth celebration in Brackettville is filled with lots of planning, hopefulness, and anticipation. Each year, we look forward to seeing new and old faces as we commemorate the end of slavery in Texas.
Since Juneteenth became a national holiday in 2021, our celebrations have taken on anew meaning as more and more people learn about Emancipation Day and realize that they have as much right to celebrate as we do.
This year, my celebration began on Tuesday, June 11, in Austin. Corina Torralba(SISCA’s treasurer) and I had been invited to participate in Juneteenth panel discussion with Mando Rayo, taco journalist and the host of the Tacos of Texas podcast. We were commemorating one year since Mando and his team celebrated Juneteenth in both Brackettville and El Nacimiento de los Negros and created a two-part series podcast about it.
First, we were interviewed by Zahra Crim at the KUT studios on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Then, later that day, our panel discussion was held at Casa de las Ofrendas, which is a Latin-Queer entrepreneur retail and events social enterprise. In a room filled with warm and welcoming faces, Corina and I discussed several aspects of Juneteenth — what it means to us, why we celebrate, the food, the events, and much more. The event, which was catered by Hoover’s, an Austin staple, featured a special fusion menu that melded Southern, Black Seminole, and Mexican foods together.
After our Austin event, I went home, to Brackettville, Texas, and spent the next few days preparing for our big event. On Friday night, we had a welcome dinner for Chief Phillip Barkus and Ms. Carmen Hidalgo, our guest speaker and parade marshal, respectively. Guests were served lasagna, salad, and corn on the cob. For dessert, we ate cake. After saying our goodbyes to everyone who attended, we all went home in order to get some rest and prepare for the next day, which was chock-full of events.
The next day, full of anticipation for the day ahead, I got up before my alarm and got ready. Then, my boyfriend Gary and I met Chief Phillip Barkus and his wife D’metrea so that we could ride out to the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery and give them a quick tour.
At 10:00, the small but mighty parade made its way down Ann Street. Led by the Kinney County Sheriff’s Department, our parade featured our parade marshal, Ms.Carmen Hidalgo; the Tiny Town antique car and carriage from Castroville; several family cars, and the fire truck.
The parade ended at Carver School. Once everyone entered the cool Carver School building, we began our program. This year, the program featured a welcome message from SISCA president Jerry Fay, a prayer from Sterling “Smiley” Goodloe, a history of Juneteenth, along with readings from the Emancipation Proclamation (by Gary Wallace) and General Granger’s General Order No. 3 (by Kevin Johnson. Our guest speaker Chief Phillip Barkus of the Dosar Barkus Band of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma spoke about the importance of unity. Afterward, Micco Fay discussed his recent trip to South Carolina.
Following the program, we had our BBQ plate sale, which featured brisket, chicken, sausage, beans, rice, and potato salad. We sold out of everything in just over an hour.
Just as the BBQ plate sale was ending, Dr. Diana Mason with the Texas Veterans Hall of Fame walked in. She happened to be driving by, and when she saw all the cars at the school, she decided to stop and see what was going on. She’d been waiting for an opportunity to stop by and couldn’t have picked a more perfect time. Just over two years ago, our four Medal of Honor recipients were inducted into the Hall of Fame. After the ceremony, four beautiful plaques were made to commemorate the event. Because Dr. Mason had surreptitiously stopped by on Juneteenth, she was able to present the four plaques while several descendants of the four men were in attendance. She also honored veterans who had served for fifty years or more.
The next event was loteria. It was fun to sit in and watch the tension mount as players got close to yelling “bingo” only to be bested by someone else. There were a lot of laughs as the game was played. Chief Phillip Barkus won several rounds and let other players pick out prizes for himself. He owed it all to beginner’s luck.
After several rounds of loteria, we gathered at the Commissary on the Fort to watch Dru Holley’s Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts. While snacking on popcorn and drinking soda, attendees learned about the simultaneous battle that black soldiers fought while members of the US military.
Following the documentary, several of us returned to the Carver School where we ended the night in the presence and company of friends, both new and old.
Juneteenth has always been like Christmas to me. It’s always been a time when I get to see my family and friends and eat good food and learn about our history. I am looking forward to next year, to seeing how much more we can grow our event and make it something that all who attend look forward to.
