President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. However, two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas to announce the end of the Civil War, and read aloud General Order #3 freeing the quarter-million slaves residing in the state. The day became a celebration of former slaves who’d been denied the tools of literacy; Juneteenth helped them remember the day in oral history. In the past and now, Juneteenth celebrations commemorate the end of slavery and focus on education and self improvement. To this day traditional and popular foods include barbecue and strawberry soda. Communities spent their little money to buy common grounds to hold their Juneteenth celebrations on “emancipation grounds.” One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth was organized by Rev. Jack Yates. This fund-raising effort yielded $1,000 and the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas in 1872. Other communities across the state have similar parks. While Juneteenth is not yet recognized as a national holiday, it has been approved and celebrated as a state holiday in 36 states, including Arkansas, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Delaware, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, California, Wyoming, Illinois, Missouri, Connecticut, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington State, Tennessee, Massachusetts, North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.
So on June 19, 2010 the CFNI Skillet Gathering was a time to honor the ancestors, tradition, food and community. We welcomed family and friends. Appetizers were served. We recounted the history of Juneteenth. Thyme introduced one of our guests, a historian, who cited an ode to the ancestors. We all said “Ashay” in response to his cadence and some of us remembered loved ones who’ve passed away by calling out their names. Hot Pepper talked about the menu and why we picked the foods.
- Appetizer – grilled shrimp and mango salsa. Served because we wanted only one appetizer and this one was summery, cool, and had a little spice.
- Traditional Juneteenth Meal – barbeque chicken wings, potato salad, black-eye pea salad, collard greens, mini corn casserole cups, cold lemonade tea. These foods represented the traditional foods served during past celebrations.
- A Touch of Spain – food demonstration on how to make a Spanish-style tortilla served with homemade Sangria (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). We want to highlight another culture during our Skillet Gatherings. A friend from Spain was visiting and volunteered to make a Spanish tortilla, which is a combination of eggs, potatoes, onion, and anything else you want to add prepared on top of the stove in a skillet. She showed us how to make a plain tortilla and a chorizo tortilla.
- Dessert – peach cobbler a la mode and brown sugar & chocolate chip pound cake with maple espresso glaze. Thyme did a twist on the pound cake and Hot Pepper likes peach cobbler.
Our Skillet Gatherings are about community, food, and conversation. They also serve as a way to spread the word about CFNI and raise funds for our activities. This time around we featured aprons, t-shirts, and bags with the Skillet Gathering logo. Our yellow aprons were especially a big hit. If you’d like to order one of these items, click here.
