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NATCHEZ — Private David Carter, born in 1843 in Jefferson County, made a visit to Co-Lin Community College in Natchez Thursday morning in the form of his great-great-grandson, Royal HIll Jr.

Hill, who along with his wife, Lavada Hill, own Open Arms Tours, was on the first Juneteenth committee in Natchez and actually came up with the idea of celebrating Juneteenth in Natchez.

Carter was a private in the Union Army during the Civil War. The small group gathered in the Co-Lin Library was mesmerized as Hill walked them through the history of Juneteenth, which is now a national holiday, by taking on the character of his great-great-grandfather Carter.

Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19, recognizes the day that many enslaved people learned they were free.

Although then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, which freed African-American slaves in Confederate states, it was not until General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1863, that enslaved people learned they were free.

Enslaved people were instructed to stay where they were, but were told they would now be paid wages for their labor. Of course, things did not happen that way.

“It also authorized the former slaves to fight,” said Hill, acting in character as Carter. “Over 200,000 of us joined the Union Army by the end of the war.

“When we heard about that emancipation, we didn’t know what to do. We just heard chatter all over everywhere about the idea of us getting together and being free. We didn’t know what to do. We had been enslaved. We had been on the plantation. We didn’t know where to go. We didn’t have nowhere to go. The only thing we knew was to gather up our families, those still intact, gather up our belongings, the little bit we had, and make it to the federal troops that had come to free us,” he continued.

He said former slaves lived in bunches near the federal troops.

“But some of those Union troops were just as mean as some of the Confederates. They looked at us as if we were nothing. But we wanted dignity. We wanted to fight for our own freedom,” he said.

Carter had a daughter, Izzy Carter, born in 1863. Izzy Carter had a son that was named Nick Hill, born in 1892, who eventually served his country in World War I.

Nick Hill had a son, Royal Hill, born in 1920, who served in World War II. Royal Hill had a son, Royal Hill Jr.

Still speaking as if he were Carter, Hill talked about the inception of Natchez’s Juneteenth celebration.

“In 1995, my second great-grandson applied for a job at the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau. He didn’t get the job, but they asked him what he would do to bring people to Natchez.”

Hill suggested celebrating Juneteenth. Niecy Jackson was hired for the convention center job, but was told to get with Hill and explore his Juneteenth idea.

That led to the first Juneteenth committee and celebration in Natchez.

The first Juneteenth committee consisted of James T. West, Niecy Franklin, Thelma Williams, Sarah Dave, Diane Green, Charles Wright, Kelvin and Tricinia Thomas, Ozelle Fisher, Richard “Dip” Lewis, Royal Hill Jr., Ser Boxley.

The first Juneteenth committee raised the funds and erected the first state historical marker at the Forks of the Road and the scene of the Rhythm Nightclub Fire.

The first Natchez Juneteen celebration, held in 1995, was held at Sadie V. Thompson High School.

“We had music, speeches, a book fair, children’s activities and a rodeo at the Liberty Road arena. You should have seen those Black cowboys up in there,” Hill said.

The 1996 Natchez Juneteenth Celebration was held at Melrose, thanks to the generosity of the superintendent of the Natchez National Historical Park.

“That made the best backdrop for Juneteenth in this country,” Hill said. “Boy, did we celebrate. Smoke was rising from the barbecue, there was music, a songfest, pray and libation,”

A libation ceremony is one that honors and connects spiritually with ancestors.

Hill said many people in the community helped the Juneteenth committee.

“We had the help of many, many people in the community. There was a radio host back then who used to talk about fair-thinking white folks. We had the help of many in the community, white and Black,” he said.

“Natchez was at the forefront of Juneteenth celebrations. We celebrated Juneteenth here before it was cool anywhere else,” Hill said.

In 2020, a woman from Fort Worth, Texas, named Opal Lee walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to advocate for Juneteenth as a national holiday.

Following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, Congress passed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. President Joe Biden signed the bill on June 17, 2021.