Saturday’s ‘Juneteenth Jubilee’ was the first-ever formal celebration of Juneteenth in the city of Altoona.
“One of the things as Americans we like to tout and shout about is freedom, here is an example of freedom,” said community historian Harriett Gaston
The ‘Juneteenth Jubilee’ at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Altoona on Saturday featured a memorial service, a historic walking tour, and more.
Several organizations, including the Blair County NAACP, worked to host this event, which was the first Juneteenth celebration in the city’s history.
“It’s a great unity point to have this jubilee today and an opportunity for the first time in years for many of the area’s predominantly African-American churches to come together again after much inter-personal conflict,” said Blair County NAACP President Andrae Holsey.
During the service there was music, and different speakers talked about Juneteenth’s history. They also held a dedication for the United States colored troops who were from Blair County and they say never got the credit they deserved before they passed away.
“Many of those United States colored troop members from the same era didn’t receive the same recognition,” said Holsey. “We want to make sure their due credit is given, both at the Eastern Light Cemetary and Union Cemetary in Hollidaysburg, and all the various different spaces across Blair County, I think it’s massively important that we thank our service members for the sacrifices that they made for our nation,” he continued.
After the service, there was a historic walking tour for people to see the connections the area has with the Underground Railroad and the Civil War.
Officials say they plan to host a Juneteenth celebration in Altoona every year from now on.
