NATCHEZ &045; One could imagine the spirits of enslaved ancestors around the Forks of the Road Saturday morning.

The historical site of Natchez’s slave market also brought in a crowd of 25 people for the 11th annual Juneteenth libation ceremony that remembers past ancestors who fought in the struggle for freedom.

This year’s theme was &uot;Remembering the Greatest Generations of Enslaved Foreparents and Giving Them Thanks for our Heritage.&uot;

&uot;We have a grand history here in Natchez,&uot; said ceremony organizer Ser Sesh Ab Heter-C.M. Boxley.

Iyalorisa Oyasegun of Jackson was present to make a tide offering to the ancestral spirits.

&uot;Without their energy we would wander around aimlessly,&uot; she said.

The crowd, mostly dressed in white, made introductions under a white tent as they sat on chairs on the muddy ground.

People came from a variety of reasons, but speakers summarized the large margin of why people came.

&uot;I’m part of the struggle because I exist,&uot; Robert White said.

&uot;Once you find out more about your history, you want to get deeper in your roots,&uot; Theodore West Jr. said.

Some participants had the same inclinations, but from a different perspective.

&uot;I know at least one of my great-great-grandfathers was a slave owner,&uot; one woman said.

&uot;I want to be a part because I believe in telling the whole story of every story. Once you know the truth, as we all heard the saying, the truth will set you free,&uot; she said.

Later, Boxley said some of Natchez’s history &045; particularly black history &045; has been hidden from citizens.

&uot;The more that we come together, more of the information that people are sitting on will come out,&uot; he said.

Boxley said it’s important to understand how the black race came to have freedom.

&uot;Here we are as descendents. Those who fail to remember us, you are betraying the legacy of your ancestors,&uot; Boxley said.

Following Boxley’s remarks, Oyasegun brought a pan of food the audience ate pieces of, placing the rest on the ground for the spirits.

Every person who arrived received a slip of paper with the name and information of a black Navy freedom fighter from the 1800’s. To honor the Navy freedom fighters and other ancestors, Oyasegun did a chant of praise with the audience.

&uot;E-ba-sha [bless them], those who died from the terrorist act called slavery,&uot; she said.

The chant ended with the each participant reading names of the fallen Navy freedom fighters.

&uot;If they have no one call their names, they are dead,&uot; Oyasegun said.