Local events planned this weekend to celebrate and commemorate Juneteenth include an inaugural parade in Dumfries and a ceremony marking the renaming of Old Mine Road to back to “Batestown Road,” also in Dumfries.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed legislation declaring Juneteenth the nation’s 12th federal holiday, giving all federal employees the day off tomorrow, Friday, June 18. The development follows a unanimous and unexpected vote in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, deeming Juneteenth a federal holiday. The House followed on Wednesday with a vote overwhelmingly in favor of the new holiday. Only 14 representatives voted against it, and none were from Virginia.
Juneteenth – or June 19th -- commemorates and celebrates the day enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, received the news on June 19, 1865, that they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed it.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared Juneteenth a holiday in Virginia in June 2020, via an executive order. State lawmakers followed up by passing bills during the fall 2020 special session to declare Juneteenth a paid holiday in Virginia.
Cydny Neville
The inaugural Juneteenth parade in Dumfries will be held at 7 p.m. this Saturday, June 19. The event is an effort to bring the community together to celebrate and commemorate what has always been an important day in the African American community, said Dumfries Town Councilwoman Cydney Neville, who is coordinating the event.
The goal, Neville said, “is to come together, celebrate and commemorate our ancestors, and to raise awareness of different groups in our community.”
The parade will begin at 7 p.m. starting from the Dumfries United Methodist Church, 3890 Cameron St., and will proceed about one-half mile down Cameron Street to King Street, ending at the Dumfries Slave Cemetery behind Dumfries Elementary School.
The parade will be a walking event with no vehicles. Participating groups will walk in categories and are expected to include youth groups, nonprofits, “Divine Nine” fraternities and sororities, elected officials, businesses and religious groups, Neville said.
Spectators are invited to line Cameron Street, between the church and Dumfries Elementary, and are encouraged to join the rear of the parade as it makes its way toward the cemetery, located in the back of Dumfries Elementary.
“The last group is what I like to call the people’s group,” Neville said. “Where all the people watching the parade will join us, and we will bring up the rear to make our way to the Dumfries Slave Cemetery.”
The parade will end with a candlelight vigil “in honor of the ancestors” and will include music and reflection, Neville said.
Participants are encouraged to bring any form of electronic candle, such as a flashlight, battery-powered candle, or cell phone/digital candle for the vigil, according to an event press release.
Town of Dumfries police will be present to direct traffic and ensure all participants walk the route safely, the release said.
Batestown Road unveiling
Earlier on Saturday, Supervisor Andrea Bailey will gather community leaders and members of the Batestown community for ceremony marking the renaming of Old Mine Road back to Batestown Road.
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Merchant Park, 3944 Cameron St., in Dumfries.
It’s a name change 20 years in the making.
Batestown is a predominantly African American community in eastern Prince William County that was founded in the 1820s.
The community was one of only a handful of African American communities in Northern Virginia prior to the Civil War. After the Civil War, Batestown grew in population as formerly enslaved people moved in, making it known as the African American section of Dumfries.
Its residents were mainly farmers but many also worked at the nearby pyrite mine and at the Quantico Marine Corps Base. New work opportunities in the area drew new residents from throughout Virginia to Batestown, with some families moving from as far away as Richmond to Batestown, according to an event news release.
By the 20th century, the community grew large enough to support a church and school. In the 1930s, the federal government threatened eminent domain if local landowners did not sell their land to create Prince William Forest Park. Not all sections of Batestown were incorporated into the park, however, and the community still survives today.
Bailey, D-Potomac, will be joined by members of the Prince William County Historical Commission and the Bates family for the official unveiling of the new street sign at the intersection of Cameron and Mine roads.
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Local Juneteenth celebrations include inaugural parade, road renaming in Dumfries - Prince William Times
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