GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Organizers of a Juneteenth celebration in Georgetown said the memory of a shooting that took place at a Juneteenth festival in Round Rock one week ago is still fresh. Despite this, they said the message of the holiday must persevere and overcome any fear of future tragedies.
Late last Saturday, two women were killed and 14 others were wounded while attending a Juneteenth festival at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. In the days since, police have arrested two suspects connected to the shooting.
Jason Norwood helped organize the Georgetown event which focused on educating children about the Juneteenth holiday.
In the shadow of the Williamson County courthouse dozens of community members gathered for speeches, a cookout and to spread information about the history of Juneteenth.
“That’s the whole purpose of today, is to affect change with the next generation,” Norwood said.
Norwood said the shooting in Round Rock has weighed heavily on the minds of attendees, but the group’s mission of promoting the holiday and what it represents must supersede any fears the fatal tragedies has created.
“Remembering the fact that there was a shooting at that event, and still having ours is the fact that we’re here for kids. We’re here to educate them,” Norwood said.
The event was sponsored by local groups Move the Monument and Williamson County Patriots, in part to raise money and awareness for efforts to remove a confederate statue from the grounds of the county courthouse in Georgetown.
Norwood said the goal of the day’s event is to inspire younger generations to honor the struggles black Americans have overcome and go on to correct misdoings that linger from slavery.
“We need to teach them with the correct history, the real reasons why the Civil War was fought and the real reason why Juneteenth is important, because it meant freedom for everybody,” Norwood said.