By Terry Witt- Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Under the vast branches of an oak tree Saturday, Williston residents celebrated Father’s Day and Juneteenth, a national holiday commemorating the end of institutional slavery in Texas, the final state of the Confederacy to free its enslaved people.

            Slavery ended in Texas on June 19, 1865.

            Though it was a somber moment for residents attending the event at Cornelius Williams Community Park, young parents took time for a kickball game with the kids while older adults gathered under the shade of the oak to dine on watermelons, hamburgers, and hotdogs and to listen to speakers.

            Two young members of the Williston community, Erica Evans 26, and Otis Boykin, 29, organized the Father’s Day and Juneteenth event to honor the importance of fathers in the lives of children but also to remember their ancestors and celebrate their freedom after slavery ended.

            Boykin, the father of a 7-year-old girl, said he tries to show his daughter how much he loves her every day. He said he doesn’t live in the same house with her anymore but he loves her unconditionally.

            “A lot of us get looked at like we are not in our kids’ lives as much as we want. Father’s Day means a lot to me as well. I have a child. She’s 7 years old and I try to be there as much as I can and let her know I love her,” Boykin said.

            Evans said she sees Juneteenth as a highly significant day. She said she didn’t know much about the holiday until the last two years but she sees its importance now.

            “It’s like a trademark, where I can see where my ancestors came from and where they are today,” she said. “It’s definitely a good celebration. It’s good to see we can all get together like they used to, to have a good time and celebrate this day.”

            The two leaders said they see the possibility of more social progress occurring in Williston if everyone places a greater priority on loving one another regardless of skin color.

            “The only solution I can see is love,” Boykin said. “So much hate is being spread. I think that’s ignorance. The only way to see a change in our lifetime is just to give love no matter what color you are. Love each other and always extend a helping hand.”

            Evans explained her views in a slightly different way.

            “We’re all human beings and everyone should realize that nobody is different than the next person. We’re all human and God loves us all, so why can’t you love us all too,” she said.

            Jackie Appling, who heads a group called Friends of Cornelius Williams Community Park said she was excited that two young people came up with the idea of having Saturday’s celebration.

            One of Appling’s highest priorities for the park is to establish two large pavilions that would allow independent groups to enjoy the park without disturbing the other group’s space.

            “We want pavilions because this whole activity could be a different thing,” she said. “The park is big enough for a big pavilion and another pavilion over there. It’s big enough to have a community event over there without disturbing a different community event.”

            She said there is also a need for security lighting at the park and field lighting for the baseball field, as well as a concession stand. She said just getting people to use the park for a family event like this one was a big step forward.

            She said the young people who organized the event are hoping to continue kickball events on weekends and bring others to the park to enjoy the atmosphere. She said it helps to have the bathrooms open. The city closed the bathrooms at one point due to vandalism.

            Appling said she went online recently and filled out an application asking Clay Electric Cooperative if it could provide the community group with park lighting. The cooperative supplies electricity to the park.

            She said her vision for the park revolves around the big oak as the center of a recreation facility. She sees the tree surrounded by children that grow to maturity and experience success in their lives.

            “This celebration is planting these seeds, and you have Juneteenth and all the holidays, and all of us older people know our children will be our future. They are the future. We give them the way they need to keep this going,” she said.

            Appling said she wants the City of Williston to be a community, and the park to be a center of community activities.

            Part of the day’s festivities was the libation ceremony performed by Gussie Boatwright with the help of four men from the community.

            The centuries-old libation ceremony celebrated the lives of the community’s ancestors, remembered the horrors of slavery, honored those who have yet to be born, praised God, and called for unity of the community. Four men took turns pouring cool water over the roots of a plant growing in a vase as Boatwright read from a ceremonial text.

            “We gather at this moment knowing the unity of the community includes our ancestors, the living and the not yet born,” she said. “We gather to pour cool water upon the earth and this plant in honor of our ancestors. This water represents the Holy Spirit of God, prophetic healing and the living water that flows from the spring of water gushing up from the life.”

            Boatwright urged those in attendance to adhere to the seven principles of African communal life and unity — self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt June 19, 2021; Posted June 20, 2021