Columbia’s Juneteenth Celebration Block Party, hosted by the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department, added new meaning to the holiday. It was the first time that it was celebrated as a federal holiday. This year, Columbia Parks and Recreation hosted the event at Douglass Park, including festivities such as balloons, face painting, lawn games for kids and adults, live music and free food.
The main attraction however, was the African-American Heritage Trail, which was discussed at the recent Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Tours of the trail were a large part of the Juneteenth celebration. The trail, according to the City of Columbia’s website, consists of “23 markers highlighting more than 30 locations with information on the history of each location.”
The trail is two miles long, and each of the markers is intended to teach about the location and represent a specific person or place that is important to the black community in Columbia. The project was an idea that arose in 2015, and it took a few years for work to begin.
The project truly began when the Sharp End Heritage Committee, formed in 2017, did research on African-American history in Columbia to build a trail to honor the history of the black community in the city. James Whitt, the Director of Supplier Diversity Program Development, says the trail is intended to make black history a part of Columbia.
“The whole purpose of the trail is to make black history part of the overall history of Columbia,” Whitt said. “It really completes the story we have to tell for Columbia.”
The first marker on the trail begins at the Stewart Road Bridge, the site of James T. Scott’s lynching. Scott is the victim of the last recorded lynching in Boone County, which was in 1923. The tour added a lot to this year’s celebration according to Whitt.
“It’s an opportunity to learn about individuals and places that were important to the development of the black community,” Whitt said. “Its history and to learn how important that was.”
With 2021 being the first time Juneteenth was honored as a federal holiday, Columbia's Parks and Recreation Department commemorated Juneteenth in a way that could lead to positive changes through education. By giving people tours of its African-American Heritage Trail, the Juneteenth Block Party sparked new conversations about black history in Columbia, giving citizens the opportunity to learn more about black history in the city.