Today is a day for celebration. It is a time to rejoice, reflect and look forward to the future. For the local African American community, this is a day to not be forgotten and everyone is invited to join in some old-fashioned jubilation.

There will be a Juneteenth celebration held Saturday, June 16, beginning at 11 a.m. at the gazebo at Windjammer Park.

“We want to come together to honor our heritage,” said Fannie Dean, pastor at Mission Ministries Outreach Church. “There will be plenty of iced tea to liven the atmosphere of Oak Harbor.”

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It originated in Galveston, Texas in 1865, as the African American Emancipation Day and spread across the nation. While June 19 is the official holiday for many states, communities typically celebrate it around that time.

According to the Web site www.juneteenth.com, the celebration now honors freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day of reflection, a day on which honor and respect is paid for the sufferings of slavery.

Many black communities across the nation hold Juneteenth as a time to reflect and rejoice. Dean said it’s about recognizing the freedoms now held in everyday life.

“We can do things now without moderation and that didn’t used to be,” Dean said, referring to the ability to celebrate openly in today’s society.

The commemoration will be marked many different ways, from outdoor cookouts and parties to simply spreading the word about black culture and history.

While emphasizing the black community’s role in the celebration, many Juneteenth events around the nation encourage people of all races, nationalities and religions to join together.

Fannie Dean wants to ensure Oak Harbor’s Juneteenth becomes implanted in the community’s mind.

“It’s amazing how many people have never heard of Juneteenth,” Dean said. “We want to spread the word so everyone knows.”

The gathering at Windjammer today will feature plenty of games — Double Dutch jump rope, hopscotch, jacks and roller skating — unity singing, praise dancing and lots of eating.

“Bring whatever you want to eat, it’s going to be a good time,” Dean said.

Pastor Roosevelt Rumble of the New Life Missionary Baptist Church, Bishop Charles Boyles and Pastor Effie Boyles of House of Prayer, as well as Elder Pastor Randy Dean and Pastor Fannie Dean of Mission Ministry Outreach will be there.

North Whidbey’s predominantly black churches have reasons to celebrate this year. New Life Missionary Baptist Church moved to a new location on Bayshore. Mission Ministry Outreach is looking forward to obtaining a permit from the City of Oak Harbor to finally fulfill plans to construct a church on property they’ve owned since the late ‘90s.

Dean hopes this Juneteenth gathering will bring back what used to be a long-time tradition in Oak Harbor.

The Oak Harbor Black Citizens’ Association formed in the late 1970s and by the early 1980s the group held regular Juneteenth cookouts. These popular events were held at the Cliffside recreational area on base and at Rocky Point Park. The local Juneteenth festivities faded from existence by the late ‘90s, but now Dean and others are hoping for a revival.

“It’s all about bringing everyone out again and having a whole lot of fun,” Dean said.