West Badin hosts fourth annual Juneteenth celebration
Published 2:51 pm Monday, June 19, 2023
Rev. Roger Williams of Living Truth Ministries honors Mike and Georgette Edgerton as the King and Queen of the Juneteenth celebration. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)
Tahj McLendon grills marinated ribeye steaks at the Tahj Esquiste Taste food booth. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)
XavierTheArtist shows his skills off painting. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)
Chris Almond, right, paints a design on the face of Jiana Edgerton. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)
Gwen Harris, right, looks over the creations of Jaquasia Gary. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)
Georgette Edgerton reads “The Night Before Juneteenth” to kids, telling the story of the holiday. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)
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Art vendors, food trucks, a bouncy house and music greeted people from the community and beyond celebrating the Juneteenth holiday at the fourth annual community festival this weekend in West Badin.
Mike and Georgette Edgerton were named the King and Queen of the festival for their contributions to the community by Pastor Roger Williams of Living Truth Ministries.
Williams gave the address to people in attendance around the theme “Words Have Power.” He asked what historical event happened in 1619 on the Virginia shores.
When one person said the first slave ships landed, he said the ships “were not carrying slaves. They were carrying kids, doctors, mothers and fathers who came to be enslaved in this place called America.”
“We need to get that (word) out of our lexicon,” he said. “We are not descendants of slaves. We are descendants of people who were enslaved.
“We are descendants of kings and queens … every man is born a prince who is destined to be a king in his castle. His home is the kingdom, but the kingdom is incomplete with just the kingdom. You have to have a queen to make the kingdom complete.”
The pastor also encouraged young women to “know the difference between a king and a court jester. You can’t get with the court jester and become a queen. It takes a king and a queen to make a kingdom.”
He later said, “It’s time for us to start using the knowledge we have and the words that we speak and empower each other with some truth. We are kings and queens of the earth.”
Williams spoke about the common phrase, “Behind every man is a good woman.”
“Whoever said that is a fool because it’s not true … it’s beside every good man is a good woman.”
Williams also spoke about the word faith, saying it “is the ability to see beyond your current circumstance. It might be rough right now. But something inside you says, “I can’t fail.’ ”
About Charles Curcio
Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.
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