June 14th Justice Bookends
Juneteenth was celebrated in Floyd the same day as the No Kings peaceful protest (story and photos coming soon). Hosted by Floyd Care with a mission to inspire Community Action for Racial Equity in Floyd County, Virginia, the celebration commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.
The music of Jerome Claytor and Touch of Class brought us all together. Here’s Joe dancing with the ladies to one of their songs.
At one point Jerome came off the stage and up close and personal. I thought I was being busted for talking too loud! But it was a serenade.
I wasn’t the only one.
I got my friend Ralph up on his feet.
And sang and danced to an old favorite.
We had so much fun dancing that my friends and I made plans to go down the mountain and hear the band in Roanoke soon.
The band’s version of the Commodore’s Brick House brought the crowds to their feet.
The Little River Missionary Baptist Church Choir performed.
Legendary Floyd County High School football coach Winfred Beale spoke on the importance of both events of that day and told personal stories of growing up as a boy when Floyd was segregated. “We get to stand up for what’s right and not let them turn back the clock,” he said.
Another highlight was when children’s artistic representation of Freedom Quilt designs were presented on stage. The quilt blocks were coded designs that helped enslaved people escape during the Underground Railroad times.
June 17th, 2025 12:44 pm
Wow! You really rocked your socks off dancing and look good doing it!
I remember when we had the sisters visit in 2021 – I believe Joe went to the first one celebrated in Floyd, we stayed behind to do something else and not too sure of the celebration!
June 17th, 2025 12:54 pm
I went to the first one in 2021 and covered it for the paper. I went to another one when the paper stopped publishing events and paying for freelancers and remember seeing the actual freedom quilt. I may have missed a couple between that and this. I forget a lot of it don’t have it recorded on my blog! https://looseleafnotes.com/2021/06/juneteenth-celebrated-in-the-heart-of-floyd/
July 3rd, 2025 9:20 pm
I loved watching you dance, Colleen! We had a Juneteenth celebration here, too, and I wore Juneteenth colors. But we weren’t dancing. Looks like you had lots of fun, and I’m still smiling. (I’ve already watched it a few times, but may have to do it again … and again.)
July 3rd, 2025 9:54 pm
I didn’t know Juneteenth had colors. Great to hear from you, Bonnie!
July 4th, 2025 8:35 am
Black, yellow, green, and red are the colors. Here’s my best blog post about it, and it even describes how I wore all those colors for the party we attended, which was hosted by the Black residents of my senior center:
https://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2025/06/juneteenth-celebration.html