Saturday, September 5, 2026
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on June 20, 2026
The Manteo Juneteenth celebration at the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum on Friday, June 19 was a high energy celebration of history and community.
With rain earlier in the day and the possible threat of more rain, the crowd was smaller than in past years. But the music from the Manteo high School musicians of the Mack Band and the R&B inspired soul music of Karin “KSoul” Johnson and her band had the crowd dancing in the aisles by the end of the day.
Returning to the Cookhouse Museum for the sixth time, Manteo native Tshombe Selby was the featured artist. A lyric tenor who performs with the New York Metropolitan Opera House, Selby’s performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” was creative and inspiring. He followed that with a heartfelt rendering of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Negro national anthem.
The song was composed in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson with lyrics by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
Selby also served as a backup singer for Johnson when she took the stage, telling the Voice that Johnson had been a mentor to him when he was a student at Elizabeth City State University.
Although jazz and R&B were the musical features of the day, there were the traditional elements of Juneteenth. Pea Island Preservation Society Board Member Coquetta Brooks was the MC for the day and asked the audience to observe a moment of silence for founding board member Doug Stover, who passed away last year.
Brooks also recounted the story of Juneteenth—describing the soldiers who arrived in Galveston, Texas in June 1865 to find that although the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in the Confederacy in 1863, slavery still existed in Texas.
On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 stating that “all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
Brooks introduced Manteo Mayor Tod Clissold, who spoke of the history of Juneteenth, and ended his remarks by reminding people of “both the struggles and the triumphs that have shaped our country. May we honor those who fought for freedom, those who broke barriers, and those who continue to work toward a more just and inclusive society.”
The keynote speaker for the day was Civil War Re-enactor Ed Gantt, who was filled the same role at last year’s event.
Gantt came dressed as a private in the 23rd USCT (US Colored Troops). He is also a retired Naval Captain and Flight Officer, retiring in 2003 after a 29-year career in the armed forces.
In his talk, Gantt traced the story of Richard Etheridge, the Captain of the all African-American Lifesaving Crew at Pea Island beginning in 1880. When Union forces took possession of Roanoke Island, he left his enslavement behind him and joined the northern forces, rising eventually to the rank of Sergeant, the highest rank permitted a person of color at that time in the US Army.
As a member of the 36th USCT, he was part of the expeditionary force sent to Texas in June 1865, and was on hand when General Granger’s General Order No. 3 was issued.
In his remarks, Gantt also stated that history of slavery is far more complex and nuanced than is presented in U.S. schools.
Following a rain delay after Gantt spoke, the music began with the Manteo High School jazz trio Mack Band playing Caravan and other traditional jazz songs.
After the Mack Band played, “KSoul” Johnson rocked the house, or in this case, the Cookhouse. With a powerful voice and backed by outstanding musicians, she seamlessly moved between upbeat R&B and ballads. Her arrangement of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” was memorable.
Sponsors for the Juneteenth event included the Bryan Cultural Series, Outer Banks Dreams Realty and Towne Bank. Surfin’ Spoon added to the festivities by handing out free ice cream sandwiches.
