Sussex Family YMCA celebrates Juneteenth

Elected officials and community leaders joined together at Sussex Family YMCA in Rehoboth Beach to celebrate and learn about Juneteenth.

Juneteenth, which has been celebrated by the African American community in the United States since the 1860s on June 19, was declared a federal holiday in 2021. The day commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger delivered the news to Galveston, Texas, that the Emancipation Proclamation, signed into law two-and-a-half years prior, declared slavery illegal under the U.S. Constitution.

“Today, we celebrate the resilience of the people who have suffered through the horrors of slavery and the people we lost who fought,” said YMCA of Delaware CEO Jarret Royster said. “Today, we should celebrate the past heroes who sacrificed their lives for us to be here today.”

During the inaugural Juneteenth Celebration at the Sussex Family YMCA, Royster delivered an opening speech. He highlighted the contributions of famous historical figures like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas. Additionally, Royster recognized the efforts of lesser-known figures like Peter Spencer, who founded what is now known as the African Union MP Church, and Samuel Burris, a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Delaware. Royster also acknowledged the contributions of white Americans such as John Brown, famous for leading the raid at Harper's Ferry, and William Lloyd Garrison, who founded the anti-slavery society and created “The Liberator.”

Enid Wallace-Simms, chair of the board of directors at YMCA of Delaware, shared her personal experience with segregation. Wallace-Simms reminisced about her upbringing at the Walnut Street YMCA in Wilmington and the wonderful memories she has of learning to swim from instructors who shared her ethnicity. She expressed gratitude for her mother's support that enabled her to graduate from Howard High School, which was the only high school for African American students in Delaware at that time. After completing her education at Delaware State College, Wallace-Simms went on to achieve great success and even won the coveted Miss Wilmington crown. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to education, much like her fellow Delaware State alum, Rep. Stell Parker Selby, D-Milton. 

Parker Selby, returning to what she referred to as her old stomping grounds in Rehoboth Beach, shared her experience of growing up in a segregated Delaware. Before she rose to the rank of a school administrator, she had to navigate her education with Jim Crow laws in place. She is the sixth generation of freed slaves in Lewes. Despite her roots in the area, she was forced to attend William Jason Comprehensive High School in Georgetown. Prior to the school’s establishment, African Americans in Delaware could only attend Howard High School in Wilmington.

“That high school was the best thing that ever happened in this county to educate African Americans,” Parker Selby said, explaining that every one of her teachers had a master’s degree and she did not believe she received a second-class education.

Parker Selby added that she feels there is more hate in today’s society than there was even during Jim Crow laws. While the races were kept separate during that time, she doesn’t recall racism being the first thought to come to mind. She said that as an elected official she believes she represents all groups of people in her district and doesn’t believe it's appropriate to pin groups against one another or make narrow-minded decisions.

“We are Americans, and we are Americans together. The people died for all of us to be together,” she said. “Many white people helped the Black people get where they are, not just in slavery, but today. There’s no such thing as you’re over here and I’m over there, we have got to stop that. Those of us who hear people say that, correct them and let them know we are all Americans.”

She said people cannot ignore the rich African American history and contributions to all the towns in the Cape Region. 

More information about Juneteenth can be found at juneteenth.com or by attending the City of Lewes Juneteenth Celebration from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 24, at George H.P. Smith Park. The free event will feature educational presentations, vendors, food trucks, live music and dancing.