By: Charles Blatcher, III, Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations
For Immediate Release
Kentucky has had its share of severe weather for a season. If rain makes things grow, everyone in Kentucky should be seven feet tall this summer. In planning an outdoor event the one thing we could not predict a year out was the weather. The best we could do was hope the Weather GOD smiled on us that chosen day. The heavens smiled on the state on June 21st for the first annual Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Freedom Festival. The event held at Camp Nelson National Monument came about without a cloud in the sky.
Two years ago, the National Coalition of Black Veterans called for establishing a corridor through the states of Kentucky and Ohio named to honor the late Brigadier General Charles Young. The concept behind the corridor was to allow Black History entities located on the 170-mile route to share the positive benefit generated from the late Buffalo Soldier’s name and fame. We contacted the Governor’s Office for directions on how to make it happen. They informed us of the process with the assurance the Governor would support the legislation if it made it to his desk for a signature. Under the leadership of State Senator Gerald Neal and Representative George Brown, Jr joined by Senator Steve West the Kentucky Legislative Black Caucus introduced legislation calling for the name recognition. Under their leadership Senate Joint Resolution 58 was signed officially establishing the corridor in March 2023. With the passage, efforts began to establish what we hoped to be an annual event to promote tourism to the state and region.
Camp Nelson National Monument which is the most southern terminus of the corridor proposed hosting an event designated as the “Freedom Festival.” The event’s name was drawn from the Civil War History of the garrison. Drawing a quote from the 160th Anniversary publication of Camp Nelson: The camp was established as a US Army fortified base, supply depot, and hospital. It evolved to become a recruitment center and refugee camp for White civilians fleeing Confederate occupation in East Tennessee in 1863. The following year, the base evolved to become one of the country’s largest recruitment and training centers for African American soldiers during the Civil War and served as a refugee camp for their wives and children.
Thousands of enslaved African Americans risked their lives escaping to the camp, located within the slaveholding state of Kentucky, with the hope of securing their freedom and ultimately, controlling their futures by contributing to the destruction of slavery.
Camp Nelson represents the courage and determination of formerly enslaved African Americans to secure their own emancipation. It also illustrates the nation’s struggle to define the meaning of freedom during and after the Civil War.” The camp has all the historical attributes to make it the ideal location to host the “Freedom Festival.”
According to Superintendent Ernie Price, the event was the most integrated activity held on the grounds since its designation as a national monument. Black History and cultural entities located along the eighty-mile Kentucky stretch of Highway 68 were represented at the event. People participated from as far away as Georgia, Michigan, California and Washington, DC for the one-day event.
It is our hope that next year we can have a three-day event with activities planned to include a meet and greet to host Veterans and guests in Louisville. In addition, with allocating a day for some scene sighting. We plan to reach out to Veteran Organizations/Associations to invite their participation in the planning.
In conclusion, we are grateful for the support received from sculptor Ed Hamilton who was the keynote speaker for the event. The Marshall Law Band provided the outstanding music for the day-long festivities. Among those who addressed the gathering were State Senator Gerald Neal, Representative George Brown, Jr, and Whitney Allen, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs who represented Governor Andy Beshear. “The event was an overwhelming success, and we hope to see you next year if not sooner on the Corridor.”
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