In Arkansas, celebrations of emancipation date back to at least 1867, although, likely, festivities occurred earlier. Interestingly, Black Arkansans celebrated emancipation three times each year—on January 1st, June 19th, and the first week of August. These celebrations, held by and for Black communities, became significant occasions to commemorate freedom.
January 1st Celebrations: The January celebration marked the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, a date historically dreaded by enslaved people due to labor contracts and separations from family. After emancipation, this date took on new meaning, transforming from one of fear and separation into a celebration of freedom.
August Celebrations: The first week of August honored the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies on August 4, 1834. By the time of the Civil War, this date had become an annual tradition in Arkansas. In 1885, the Russellville Democrat referred to this as "the negro’s Fourth of July," highlighting the importance of this day in the local African American community, which connected their fight for freedom to the global abolition movement.
Juneteenth Celebrations: Juneteenth, commemorating the final emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, became an important holiday in Arkansas’s Black communities, with celebrations reported as early as 1900. Juneteenth celebrations included barbecues, music, baseball games, and speeches, providing a platform for Black Arkansans to express political views, particularly during the Jim Crow era. Employers would often give workers the day off, acknowledging its significance. While Juneteenth celebrations in Russellville have not been fully documented, it’s possible that residents traveled to larger towns like Fort Smith or Little Rock to celebrate before bringing the tradition back home.
By 1860, according to the last U.S. Census before the Civil War, 12% of Pope County’s residents and 15% of Yell County’s residents were enslaved. This amounted to nearly 2,000 people living in bondage in the Arkansas River Valley. Enslaved individuals in this region primarily worked on cotton plantations, but their labor was also essential across various sectors of the local economy, contributing to the growth and development of the area in many different ways.
