Vigo County History Center Juneteenth Program
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Dozens of Terre Haute residents gathered at the Vigo County History Center on Wednesday for an event celebrating a place with ties to African-American history.
This is the third year in a row the museum has hosted a Juneteenth celebration program with local historian Dr. Crystal Reynolds, which featured more than a dozen sites and several speakers.
Peggy Joyner helped organize the event and said she was glad to see the community support.
“I was really impressed with the turnout,” she said. “I’m so glad everyone came out to see the banners. A lot of research and effort went into providing accurate information, so I’m looking forward to the launch.”
Journalist traces family tree back to ancestor who served in the Civil War
One of the speakers, Samuel Reyes, spoke about the National Tailors Company, which was owned by Demetrius Ewing in the 1950s.
He said he enjoyed being a part of the program and hopes to spread the message about the importance of acknowledging the hardships of previous generations and what they overcame.
“I realized that the hatred that occurred wasn’t that long ago,” Reyes said. “We can learn to celebrate the challenges we’ve overcome. We can make something positive out of the negative things our ancestors had to endure.”
Reyes said he hopes events like this become a holiday tradition in the Wabash Valley and surrounding areas.
“I believe this movement will spread not only in Terry Haut, not only in Indiana, but across the nation,” he said. “It’s essential that we learn our history through the years.”
