Juneteenth has been observed in some form for more than 150 years in remembrance of June 19, 1865.
That’s when Union soldiers told slaves in Galveston they had been freed, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to end the Civil War, and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
While Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas and among Black communities for generations, it only recently has begun to gain widespread adoption across the United States to mark the true end of slavery.
Public awareness of Juneteenth grew in 2020 amid nationwide protests after the police killings of several Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Atlanta and some southside cities began recognizing the holiday in 2020, while the state and several other local governments got on board after it became a federal holiday in 2021. Gov. Brian Kemp made it a paid holiday for state employee last year after it passed almost unanimously through the state Legislature. Adoption among private-sector employers has been mixed.
Several events to commemorate Juneteenth are being held around Atlanta over the coming days. A growing number of communities around the state also are marking the day, including Macon, which is holding its inaugural Juneteenth Parade on Monday.
Below is a sampling of events starting Friday in larger cities around Georgia, shared by regional news partners of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Albany:
June 17 – Juneteenth Jubilee @ 11am at the Veterans Park Amphitheatre
Columbus:
June 16 – 2023 Juneteenth Celebration at the Columbus Civic Center
June 19 – Juneteenth Commemoration at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery @ 10am
June 19 – Historic Bike Ride at the Freedom Express Bus Museum @ 5:30pm
Macon:
June 17 – The 31st Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival @ noon
June 19 – Macon’s Inaugural Juneteenth Parade @ 11am
Rome:
June 16 – ‘Still, We Rise’ at City Auditorium @ 6pm
June 17 – Parade on Broad Street @ noon
June 18 – Sunday Morning Worship Service @ 11am with Greater Mount Calvary Baptist Church Pastor Terrell Shields. The speaker will be former State Rep. Tyrone Brooks.
June 19 – Free screening of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ on Sunday, June 18th @ 3:30pm at the DeSoto Theatre. The Rome International Film Festival partnered with One Community United & the Historic DeSoto Theatre Foundation to host the free showing of the 2022 film.
June 19 – Camp One Sirron @ 6pm; Students of Excellence scholarship event followed by entertainment (dancing, food)
Savannah:
June 17 – Savannah African Art Museum’s annual Juneteenth Celebration @ 11am
June 17 – Savannah Juneteenth Fine Arts Festival at Forsyth Park @ 1pm
June 17-19 – Tybee MLK Juneteenth Celebration at Memorial Park @ 11am
June 15 – Juneteenth Lecture with Queen Quet at the Jepson Center @ 6pm
June 17 – Cultural Juneteenth Music Festival at Wells Park @ 11am-6pm
June 17 – Juneteenth Youth Power Festival at Daffin Park @ 1pm
June 17 – Pooler’s Juneteenth Celebration at Tanger Outlets @ 12pm-6pm
June 18 – Father’s Day Gospel Celebration and Juneteenth Brunch at District Live @ 12:30pm
June 19 – Urban Hope’s Juneteenth Fundraiser at the Whitefield Center @ 12pm-4pm
--Events provided by Albany Herald, Ledger-Enquirer, The Telegraph, Rome News-Tribune and Savannah Morning News
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