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Juneteenth, which is celebrated every year on June 19, is a national celebration of the freeing of those enslaved by way of the Emancipation Proclamation effective January 1, 1863. Blacks enslaved in Texas were unaware of the Emancipation Proclamation and their freedom until June 19, 1865. This was 2 1/2 years following the Proclamation's effective date and two months after the Civil War ended in April 1865.
United States Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. Sunday's celebration, June 18, will begin at Memorial Park, Lake Shore Drive West, with a Gospel DJ at noon and a 1 p.m. worship service. The theme for the worship service is "One in Christ."
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). The mission of the service is to bring all people and denominations to worship together in the park. All area pastors can contact Tyneatta Couser at 467-8558 or Franceska Torain at 363-1102 if they would like to sit on the podium and be part of the service.
Guest speaker for the worship service is Bishop Leecroft Clarke who is originally from Jamaica and relocated to the United States at 18 years old. He is an ordained Bishop with the Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee, and the Lead Pastor of Healing Word Ministries Church of God in Jamestown, New York. Clarke is also the Project Director of the Chautauqua County Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Coalition.
Upon moving to the Jamestown area 23 years ago, he worked for MRC/SKF as a Business Development Manager and later for TitanX Engine Cooling as their Senior Account Manager and Aftermarket Sales Manager for almost ten years. In addition, he worked in various engineering and project leadership positions for The Torrington Company (located in Connecticut) for more than 12 years.
Clarke has a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, a Master's in Business Administration, and is currently completing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Northeastern Seminary. His extensive community service includes his roles as the chairperson of the Addiction Response Ministry of Chautauqua County, co-chairperson of the Racial Reconciliation Taskforce of Chautauqua County, and past board member for the HOPE Chautauqua Coalition, and a past member of the ESPRI Taskforce.
Clarke is a gifted and anointed man of God who lovingly and passionately encourages people to reach their full potential in Christ through his teaching and ministry. His journey in ministry has allowed him to work with and minister to an array of individuals within Chautauqua County. Throughout his ministry, he has published a workbook titled Breaking Harmful Behavior Patterns, which he uses to teach individuals not only to be free but also how to stay free from harmful patterns of destructive lifestyles.
He desires to see people healed and made whole through the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as such, the Word of God and prayer drive every aspect of his life and ministry. He and his wife, Rosemarie, and daughter, Elyse reside, in Jamestown.
Also, the Dunkirk-Fredonia Juneteenth Celebration Committee is including, for the first time, a reenactment of the Emancipation Proclamation's General Order No. 3 on Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m., under the direction of Sandra Lewis, Juneteenth committee member. The Committee is pleased to have Tom Loughlin play the role of United States Major General Gordon Granger.
Loughlin is thrilled to be a part of this year's Juneteenth celebration. He is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Fredonia. He has a long and distinguished career as a professional actor and educator in the region. He holds a B.A. in Theatre and English from SUNY Oswego and an M.F.A. in Acting from the University at Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as additional study at New York University. He is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors.
He arrived at SUNY Fredonia in 1988 and taught acting and directing there for the next 29 years, retiring in 2017. While there, he directed or acted in more than 60 shows for the department, including such shows as "West Side Story," "Rent," "Cabaret," "The Pirates of Penzance," "The Piano Lesson," the first show ever to feature an all-Black cast, "The Good Woman of Setzuan," Into The Woods, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and many others.
Specializing in classical and Shakespearean acting, Loughlin has been working professionally on the stage for over 40 years. He has spent 15 seasons over 4 decades with Shakespeare in Delaware Park, where he has played roles such as Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, Claudius and Polonius/Gravedigger in two different productions of Hamlet, Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew, Leonato in two productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the title role in King Lear. Tom earned an Artie Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance as Polonius in the 2014 production of Hamlet in Shakespeare in Delaware Park.
In June 2022, Tom was recognized with a Career Achievement Award at the 37th Annual Artie Awards for his work as both an educator and actor/director in the Buffalo region. Tom continues to work professionally in Buffalo, and currently also produces and hosts a podcast, Notes from the Aisle Seat, sponsored by the 1891 Fredonia Opera House, covering the arts scene in northern Chautauqua County.
A Gospel Fest featuring Minister Charles Clark, Brothers in Christ, and M.O.D. (Men of Distinction) and Friends will end the celebration.