SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Ahead of the holiday on Wednesday, the Juneteenth Festival in Sioux Falls kicked off the celebration of freedom.
The 2024 Juneteenth Sioux Falls Festival focused on the history of all African Americans finally being freed more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and a celebration of African American culture.
For Chet Jones, this year’s Grand Marshal, a point of emphasis was on unity. Jones used his platform to show that love and unity is needed so that the history that led to African Americans without their freedom isn’t repeated.
“I believe that God afforded me an opportunity to see beyond myself,” Jones said. “God didn’t plan for us to hate each other. He planned for us to love each other. It’s important that we stand up when we see that old history starting to come up again, that we knock it down and put it out. We can do that if we do it together. I can’t do it alone, but you and I together, we can make that difference and make it happen.”
Chet Jones said that his background includes overcoming plenty of adversity and stereotypes. He became greatly involved in the communities where he called home, even though there were few who looked like him when he moved to South Dakota for college at Northern State University. He recalled the difficulties of being far away from his hometown of Stockton, California during his first semester away and a night that left an impact on him when a group of athletes discussed their differences all night to gain a better understanding of each other. Jones was an advocate and activist, fighting for women’s rights and becoming a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP). He is a longtime collegiate and high school sports official, former State Senator, frequent volunteer and a member of the California African American Hall of Fame and the Northern State Hall of Fame.
“That evolution got me here and it’s been the best thing to happen to me,” Jones said. “Who would think that a little kid back in 1967 would have the opportunity to be a State Senator or would have an opportunity to do things he was never, never, never given the opportunity to do?”
To Harriet Yocum, a Juneteenth Sioux Falls Board Member, Treasurer and 2022 Juneteenth Sioux Falls Grand Marshal, Jones was an easy pick to be honored as the Grand Marshal in the 2024 festival.
“He is such a GOAT [Greatest Of All Time] in our community. A legacy. So it was just important for us to recognize what he has done for the community and what he has continued to do for our community,” described Yocum.
Jones said he was taken aback when he got a call to tell him that he was selected to be the Grand Marshal.
“I didn’t live my life to be honored for anything except being me. For them to honor me, I can tell you I feel that deeply, but I didn’t do it for any praise or any trophy. I just wanted to be everything that God wanted me to be,” described Jones.
The history of slaves finally becoming free is key for organizers to give to the next generation. They aim to pass down a message of hope for the future because of the resilience of those who came before them.
“Celebrate who we are and celebrate who we’re going to be,” stated Jones. “The history of this Juneteenth is that we stand on the shoulders of those slaves who died to be free now.”
“It is so important that we know about our African American history. We cannot forget our past because that brings us to our future,” Yocum explained.
The day wouldn’t be without some adversity of its own outside of the scattered rain showers. The celebration began with a “Freedom Walk” where participants encountered an individual riding a bicycle and yelling at them. The individual spat on participants and rode away.
“There was a naysayer who came along and tried to create havoc,” Jones said. “The beauty of that and a day like today is we don’t have to be violent. We don’t have to be militant and get down in the mud with people like that. All we had to do and all I did was pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. Guess what? The police department came rolling by, and that guy was gone. God wanted us to create love, not hate.”
A police report was officially filed for the incident, but organizers did not let it get in the way of them celebrating a day that means so much to the Black community.
“Juneteenth means so much to me and just to get to celebrate it and the legacy,” Yocum said. “To see the evolution of what it has become today, it just warms my heart to see it so big and I want it to carry on for generations and generations to come.”
Stay with Dakota News Now for any updates and reactions on the police report as they become available.
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