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By Joan Collins, Director, Outreach and Education, Pea Island Preservation Society, Inc.

Please join us for our free outdoor concert on Thursday, June 19, at 6 p.m. Limited seating opens at 5:30 p.m., but we highly recommend you bring your own lawn chairs or blankets. This event, featuring the professional opera singer Tshombe Selby, a beloved Roanoke Island native, has quickly become one of the summertime favorites on the Outer Banks and we expect a large crowd.

After previewing our special video invite (as seen below), Tshombe has asked that we also share his thoughts:

 

Tshombe’s remarks:

“As we gather for the fifth year of Dare County’s annual Juneteenth celebration, I’m reminded of those who came before us—those who endured centuries ago, and those we’ve lost more recently. Without their sacrifices, strength, and perseverance, we would not be here today.

“This fifth Juneteenth is a bittersweet moment of reflection and celebration. The bitterness comes from the continued reality that some still see others as less than fully human—viewing them as tools for profit, as property to be owned, rather than people to be respected. It is a painful reminder of the legacy we continue to confront. Yet, there is sweetness too. It is found in the joy that broke through on that Juneteenth morning—a moment of light after centuries of darkness. Though that joy was fleeting and the struggle far from over, it was real. And it continues to inspire us.”

Juneteenth, a holiday recognized by most states including North Carolina, is the oldest known celebration honoring the end of enslavement in the United States. On this day, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the end of enslavement was proclaimed in Galveston, Texas. The day is also sometime called Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day.

This year Mr. Edward Gantt, a U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) Re-enactor and retired U.S. Navy officer, will also be speaking at the event. Mr. Gantt’s reenactment is to pay tribute to the numerous men from this area, including Richard Etheridge, who joined the Union’s fight for freedom and served in the USCT during the Civil War. For those who have a particular interest in the history of the USCT during the war, Mr. Gantt will be informally greeting visitors from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Cookhouse Museum before his planned presentation during the early evening program.

This year, we will also be offering for sale a special Juneteenth commemorative T-shirt to honor Darrell M. Collins, President Emeritus of our organization. Darrell, who served as a Manteo Town Commissioner for 18 years, was well-known and loved throughout the Roanoke Island and beyond. He passed away on Christmas Eve last year. This commemorative T-shirt, along with our regular Juneteenth T-shirt, will be offered for sale at the Cookhouse Museum from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. on June 19th, and also from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. before the Juneteenth program begins.

We are especially grateful to The Don and Catharine Bryan Cultural Series, our lead sponsor, and to TowneBank, Surfin’ Spoon, Outer Banks Dreams Realty, and to all those others who have continued to support this event over the years. You can learn more about the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum and our organization’s efforts by visiting our web page, PeaIslandPreservationSociety.com.

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