The fourth annual Juneteenth Heritage Jubilee in Weston was celebrated at the Weston Red Barn Farm on Saturday, June 15 under perfect weather.
Each year the event has featured a different theme. This year’s theme is “Freedom Seekers, Freedom Fighters, People, Places and Passageways.” The event is presented by the Black Ancestors Awareness Campaign (BAAC) of Weston.
The event featured several speakers and performances that included African drummers and dancers and character storytelling. After the show, there was a free barbecue presented by the Weston Rotary Club and a concert featuring the Roger Wilder Trio.
It was the first year the event was held at the Red Barn Farm which is located about halfway between Weston and Platte City just off of Highway 273 and close to a significant historical place in Platte County slave trading history.
Just down the road from the farm is what’s left of the Halfway House, a place where slave traders stopped along the toll road for a rest and where slaves were chained to the ceiling in the basement. Most of the halfway house fell to decay many years ago but what does remain in the “dungeon” in the basement where the slaves were kept. Part of the event included tours down to the site.
“What remains is an incredible cellar that as far as we know was built without mortar. If this cellar could talk what story would it tell?” asked the great-great-great-grandson of the Halfway House owner Johann Floersch, Jerry Floersch. “In this dungeon, lighted and ventilated by three small slits 24 by nine inches slaves were kept chained to heavy iron rings in the ceiling while the traders regaled themselves elsewhere.”
Floersch said Johann owned the tavern from 1843 to 1855 and died in the Missouri State Prison after being convicted for the murder of Hall Wilkerson. Johann Floersch operated the tavern but Kirk Nelson, who was playing the character of John McCurdy, said Floersch wasn’t well-liked because of his associations with McCurdy who was an abolitionist.
“I was just a small cog in one of many wheels in a large machine helping these people who were in need,” Nelson said playing the role of McCurdy. “Every little cog is important. “You do what you can. People may or may not remember what you said. But they will always remember how you made them feel.”
Floersch said it’s important to keep these stories alive.
“Silence kills stories and when we kill stories we silence part of ourselves,” Floersch said.
The event also featured speakers telling stories about early pioneers in Platte County and at the national level.
Rebecca Ehrich, a member of BAAC gave a speech about Rev. Fredrick Starr Jr. Starr got into hot water with locals and was accused of teaching slaves how to read and write which was against state law. Gena Bardwell played the role of famous journalist Ida B. Wells and read one of her writings.
The event featured “Narratives of Enslaved Women” by Natasha Ria El-Scari and the reading of a letter from a former slave to his former master read by Brother John Anderson. There were two piano and singing performances by Jonathan Doram and Cassandra Leon respectively. Professional beatboxer Luke “Skippy” Harbur performed solo and then served as a backup in a later performance by Bardwell reading and a singing performance by BAAC member Angela Hagenbach, who also served as the main emcee.
The event saw a speaker at the first Juneteenth in 2021, Dr. N.M. Shabazz, make a return to Weston. The educator talked about the 1850 Federal Fugitive Slave Act and the differences between what was known as slavery and chattel slavery that was practiced in America.
Shabazz said before the trans-Atlantic slave trade to America slaves were allowed to keep their culture. With chattel slavery, the person was the property of another and often had to take the name of their master. Shabazz said his birth name was Davis but after doing some research he legally changed his name.
Shabazz talked about America’s violent history to achieve manifest destiny. He said it’s been an ugly road but it has led to the best country on the planet. Shabazz compared America’s history to an omelet.
“It’s all of what you want to have but unfortunately, the history of America is like an omelet,” Shabazz said. “Many of us never consider it from the egg’s perspective. It’s a very brutal and violent act. You have to crack the egg and then you put them in a bowl and whisk them around. You cook it and it smells real good at the end.”
Shabazz said there’s still a lot of work to do in America with the current climate. He talked about some who are trying to change history and portray slavery as something that wasn’t that bad.
“The slavery we had in the United States was unlike any other,” Shabazz said. Regardless of what we’ve gone through in this country, we’re still together and we need to tell the truth. Not to incite but to understand. After my presentation, if you still feel a certain way then go make me a better omelet.”