On Friday, June 19th, 2026, Arundel House of Hope (AHOH) hosted the first Juneteenth Freedom Festival.
This event was put on with the efforts from Together group volunteers, Solley United Methodist Church and many other supporters working with AHOH staff.
This historic day was one marked with friendship and fellowship as seen in our photos and video montage featuring the Lionel Richie song “Stuck on You.” We played Bingo, served food, shared memories and learned the history of Juneteenth as spoken by AHOH’s Program Director Carolyn Washington and Community Recovery Center Director Bob Starkey. Generations of past and present AHOH staff members and volunteers came together to support this most important event.
Video transcript
“Hello, dear friends. Let’s take a look at Juneteenth — a day of celebration, yes, and also a day of truth. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom in America has never arrived all at once. It has had to be announced. It has had to be demanded. It has had to be defended. And far too often, Black Americans have had to fight alone for freedoms that should have belonged to everyone from the beginning.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas finally heard the news that they were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Think about that. Freedom had been declared, but freedom had been delayed. And today, we must be honest enough to say: in some ways, that pattern continues.
The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in a democracy. It is the voice of the people. It is how the poor speak to the powerful. It is how communities protect themselves. It is how ordinary citizens say, “We matter. We are here. You can’t ignore us.”
But once again, the voting rights of Black Americans are under attack. Court decisions and political actions are making it easier to weaken the voice of Black voters, to redraw districts, to dilute power, and to turn the clock backward. And I want to speak especially today as a white man. This isn’t just a Black problem. This is an American problem. This is a moral problem. This is a spiritual problem. For too long, white people have had the privilege of looking away. We have been able to say, “That doesn’t affect me.” As we celebrate the Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Arundel House of Hope, let’s also commit to standing in unity with one another and renouncing hatred, believing we’re all in this together.”
