Juneteenth Celebrations in Westminster and Clemson

Westminster’s Juneteenth celebration concluded with the announcement of the first recipient of the city’s Juneteenth Award of Excellence, sponsored by Blue Ridge Bank. Cassie Moore presented the award to the city’s long-time recreation director, Herb Poole, during an event at Magnolia Manor attended by nearly 100 people. The celebration included a lecture by Dr. Sonya Ramsey, a history professor from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, who discussed Reconstruction in Oconee County. Similarly, Clemson University recently held a poignant Juneteenth celebration at the historic Fort Hill Plantation, honoring the memories of those once enslaved on its campus. The event featured a reading of over 100 names of enslaved individuals. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when over 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas were freed by executive decree, marking the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation.