McALLEN — Village in the Valley, in partnership with the city of McAllen, celebrated the first anniversary of Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday with a small neighborhood gathering at the Bethel Garden in McAllen.
“It’s so appropriate in (the Bethel Garden) because we’ve worked very hard to make this spot, which is a historical landmark, recognizing one of the oldest black churches here in McAllen,” Dr. Teresa Gatling, co-founder and co-president of ViVa, said.
A variety of people spoke at the event, including retired educator Cristela Cano, who painted the mural entitled Substance of Hope found at the garden. It depicts the neighborhood’s rich history, ViVa Neighborhood Organizer Dr. Raymond Howard Jr. said, and also the pain people have experienced to reach this point.
Though the evening was scorching, even as the sun set, a cool breeze swept through the garden keeping people somewhat fresh.
Refreshments and, as Howard put it, “healthy junk food” was served for everyone attending with a feature presentation of “Sister Act 2” to enjoy the party favors but only after a short video about the history of Juneteenth was presented.
According to Howard, in the 1930s, the Hubbard family moved from Louisiana to McAllen for work and to build a new life.
At the time, there wasn’t an African American church for the family to practice their faith, so the Hubbards became essential in the establishment of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, which was across the street from Booker T. Washington High School, the only school that black students could attend due to segregation.
“So, there’s history here,” Howard said. “Our historical review says that a number of young people could not matriculate through the existing public school system at the time because of segregation. They were bussed in from around the region, maybe as far as Harlingen, to get an education. Some of them, those young people, have grown up to become some of our best leaders.”
Though Juneteenth finally becomes recognized at the federal level, as progress continues to be made, the persistent negativity of others which manifests itself in the form of police brutality and mass shootings continues to loom in the shadows.
Last month an 18-year-old man, who wrote a 180-page manifesto supporting white supremacy and the far-right “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, shot and killed 10 people at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo, New York, all of whom were people of color.
“For me it’s a tragedy that there’s people so afraid of anything that’s different,” Cano said. “It’s not hate, it’s fear. Fear of things they don’t even know and yet, they build up incredible stories. People like that are always in my prayers, in my awakenings, so they might be enlightened.”
Despite the horrors of racism and prejudice, the people remain hopeful.
Gatling said that there’s hope as long as there’s people willing and wanting to see change, citing a speaker at a recent Brownsville event who said that slavery didn’t end alone, it was won because African Americans had help from white people.
“Even today, it’s the same thing, we cannot do it alone,” Gatling said.
Howard said that there’s a fashion in the United States that holds on to a set of values that create division and those people look for any reason to hurt and harm others in order to keep the nation, as a community, off balance.
However, Howard remains positive despite the reopening of old wounds and remembering the trauma and that it’s because of those who came before us that the people can rise above the hate.
“We have to push forward,” Howard said. “And we have to send a message that we’re not going to be subjugated again to someplace that makes them feel good about who they are.
“We are all equal in the sight of God and also under the banner of our constitution.”
