*A Juneteenth soul food festival planned in Little Rock, Ark. has been canceled after the all-white panel of hosts was revealed.
The event was set to go down on June 17, and BET notes that the poster announcing the festival showed photos of the three white people who would host the event that was organized by a Black man.
“I got a rope around my neck and I’m tarred and feathered over an event that’s already dead,” organizer Muskie Harris, a former University of Arkansas football player and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, told the Arkansas Times.
Are you surprised that a Black Republican turned to white folks to host his Juneteenth event?
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Somebody has to explain this to me. pic.twitter.com/osl0DDJyk4
— ????????Black???????? Aziz ????????aNANsi???????? (@Freeyourmindkid) April 26, 2022
Harris claims the leaked poster was not the final version. “It just got perceived in the wrong way, and my sponsors said to leave it alone. It’s dead. It’s dried up,” he added.
After it was reported that the Arkansas Urban League was involved with the event, CEO Scott D. Hamilton posted a message on Facebook Tuesday (April 26) denying such rumors.
“The Urban League of the State of Arkansas is and was not involved in any aspect of this program,” the statement said.” We are concerned of the appearance of participation without our approval. It’s unfortunate that some failed to recognize the optics and the absolute need to engage prior to this being developed.”
President Biden signed legislation in 2021 that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, as the day slavery finally ended when Union soldiers stormed into Galveston, Texas, proclaiming freedom for the state’s enslaved people.
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