MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (WRTV) -- June 19 is a celebration of the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free.
As communities across Indiana mark the holiday, the Juneteenth event in Martinsville drew a lot of attention on Friday evening.
Event organizer Jeannine Lee Ferrer said, "This is American history. It's all of our history, and I think we should all celebrate it, because I think most of the people are happy that it finally ended."
Sampson Levingston, a local tour guide and Indiana history buff, says Martinsville is historically known as a sundown town, a place where Black people were warned not to remain after dark for fear of their safety. In 1968, a Black woman named Carol Jenkins was killed by two men while selling encyclopedias door to door. One of her killers was never found.
Levingston said, "She got murdered with a hate crime by a white guy and so there are some things that sting. I've seen with my own eyes: KKK signs in Martinsville, Indiana."
Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is a white supremacist and right-wing extremist hate group in the United States.
Martinsville's history was one of the reasons why the event generated a lot of conversation within the community. As Levingston sees it, the event was a positive move. "Why not? Wherever you live, wherever you are, figure out how you can get involved with Juneteenth. We've got beautiful cities with beautiful history, and I think it's time we all lean into that and acknowledge that so we can learn and grow with it," he said.
In a statement, Republican Martinsville Mayor Kenny Costin says the city has undergone a positive transformation.
"The progress is real, and it is ongoing. We remain committed to this work, so Martinsville becomes not only a place where people are proud to live, but a place where they are proud to belong."
Ferrer said she's lived in Martinsville since 2021 and has not experienced anything racist in the city. However, she said she was upset when the event was first announced, and people made racist comments to her online. "I'm not being naive to what has gone on in the past, but I think Martinsville has moved to a different chapter, and we're ready as citizens of Morgan County and Martinsville, Indiana, to turn a page, and I look forward to today being a part of that."
Ferrer said dozens of people have reached out to her, offering their support and wanting to learn more about the holiday. "Those really are truly the people that are touching my heart and are making me think that this was a good thing to do, and to reach out and let people know that we are more alike than we are different."
She hopes to host another Juneteenth event in Martinsville in 2026.
