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Juneteenth Festival 2004 is special

Inasmuch as any promoter, or event coordinator, worth a day’s pay, will proclaim that whichever occasion that they’re promoting will be “The Biggest and Best” ever, i.e., special, the greatest. Therefore I can’t resist seizing a very unique happenstance to truthfully declare that the 12th Annual Juneteenth Zydeco/Rhythm & Blues/Business Expo Festival 2004 (Sponsored by Acres Home Citizens Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Acres Home Center for Business and Economic Development—that will be held under the big tent on Malonson Company Grounds, 6130 Wheatley-- from 2-8 p.m. on June 19, 2004), will be especially special this year.
If you’re asking how the event, that has already become the best Juneteenth celebration --from a Black grassroots perspective-- in town can get any better, that’s a good question and we’re glad you asked. Surely, you’ll have a hard time finding better Juneteenth entertainment than Nooney & The Zydeco Floaters, BTW High School’s Band, featuring the The Baby Ocean of Soul Oceanetts; Ray Brown & Showtime Band and Loli-Pop the Clown. Especially when you throw in the fun & games, which include a dance contest for all ages and good food, or the live broadcast on “Power” 97.5 FM radio, featuring Guy Lambert and Rasheed of The Boxx 97.9. And, lest we forget, there will also be plenty of business networking for vendors.
Incidentally, you can still become a vendor by calling Sharon Johnson @ (713) 692-7003. But let’s answer that good question. Perhaps, you’ve never noticed, but it’s very seldom a Juneteenth celebration falls on a Saturday. Which is the ideal time to observe a day of freedom. In case you haven’t noticed, the last time the 19th of June fell on a Saturday was in 1999 and the next time will be in 2010. And if you miss that one, you’ll have to wait until Jun .19, 2021 to celebrate Juneteenth on a Saturday. Meanwhile, Keith R. Silas, a Chamber member and chairman of Acres Home Positive Interaction Program (AHPIP), who spoke at the AHCCC’s June 3, 2004 Network/Luncheon, promises that special efforts also will be made to make sure that this year’s celebration is safer than it’s ever been.

Needless to say, no hostile act has ever occurred at any of the Chamber’s events, e.g., our Juneteenth celebrations. Even so, we all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so we must say thanks to HPD’s community oriented “Storefront,” that’s manned by officers like Fitzgerald Plummer and M. C. Neely, who broke bread with the “Lunch Bunch,” that gathered at New Jerusalem Ministries (NJM), 1613 W. Little York, on June 3rd. Silas, a native of Acres Home who grew up across the street from Rep. Sylvester Turner (and were among the first Black students to graduate from Klein’s integrated schools), hammered home the salient fact that citizens must proactively demand good policing in their community.
He cited how naysayers protested when HDP placed it’s North Command Station in “the heart of Acres Home,” thinking that it would result in an increase in police brutality in a community that had already been demonized on Channel 26 TV’s “City Under Siege,” as the drug capitol of the Greater Houston area. “It didn’t happen,” Silas was happy to report. “In fact we have an excellent relationship with the Command Captain (J. Lantignanor) and we couldn’t ask no better cooperation than we get from the Storefront division that’s located at the Acres Home Multi-Service Center. They not only patrol the community vigilantly, but also give us detailed reports of arrest, crimes, etc. each month. Crime has decreased in our community 25 percent during the 10 years we’ve had direct contact with our police department.”

The AHPIP was established 12-years ago, to proactively address the problems that existed in the Acres Home community, and Silas didn’t bite his tongue when he admonished apathetic Black citizens who only sit around and complain about being underserved by tax supported agencies, instead of getting involved. “We’ve got to ask for what we need. No, we must do like Mr. Malonson and demand what we want. He tells them what we want, rather than wait for them to give us what they think we need,” Silas explained. “We (AHPIP) meet at the Multi-Center, on W. Montgomery @ Wilberforce, every fourth Thursday from 7:30 to around 9 p.m…. to address any issue that you consider a problem. So I hope that you care enough about the community that your children have to grow up in to join our efforts to make our neighborhood safe and viable.”
Silas’s candid, to the point, speech was well received by our treasured seniors, Coreen Sweed, Marlise Armstrong, Muriel Murray, Ella Sayles, Jewel Houston, Oveta Hunter, Callie Hector and Ida Tennessee. As always, Metrolift’s Jackie and Darryl Thomas were in the house and Marcus Milburn, of Sheraton Suites-Houston, could win an attendance award hands down. The same can be said of Shareen Larmond, who represents Sen. John Whitmire’s Office; Katrina Dowdell and Alma Nickelberry (CIS); Angelia Reese (AmeriGroup); Claudis Daniels, Roger Johnson and Bud Johnson (AAN&I); Betty Martin and Kim Christensen (Houston Chronicle); Elder Lewis Rogers and Henry Brooks (NJM); B. J. Haynes (Golden State Mutual Ins.); Tom Kollaer (AFLAC) and the always active political & community activist, Rose Howard, who was wearing her Garden City Civic Club hat.

Also enjoying Lacy’s Cafeteria & Restaurant’s delicious cuisine (See Yellow Pages for ad) was: Dee Dee Hernandez (Doctor’s Hosp.); Deborah Omoro (Finance Capital Mgmet.) Dallas Singleton (Tex. Forest Ser.); Janette Hammond, Harold Warner and Veronica Guillory (Center Point Energy); Von Mosley, Yesenia Velasquez and Gerald Lowe (S. Texas Dental); Hosea Harris (AHDC); Dr. Victor Keys (BTW H.S.); Kim Silas (Paradise Cemetery); Rev. John Gibbs (A.C.T.I.O.N) and Willie Baker. Chamber member Robert Leday did his usual great job of coordinating the network/luncheon, Beulah Shepard blessed the food, and thanked God for her 83rd birthday and Dr. Joann Mann, director of North Harris- Carver Center, flipped the script and introduced Silas, who usually introduces the guest speakers.
The lucky ticket holder, Shareen Larmond, graciously ceded her prize to Beulah Shepard as a birthday present. As usual I gave a Chamber update, and announced our upcoming Juneteenth celebration. The next Chamber meeting will be held on July 1, 2004 at North Harris College-Carver Center, 2330 S. Victory @ Carver Road. The guest speaker will be Carol Mims Galloway, our City of Houston Councilmember-District B. For RSVP and information call Sharon Johnson @ (713) 692-7003.