Macon celebrates community, culture on Juneteenth with Freedom Festival, parade, history tours, more
Juneteenth celebrations in Macon began last week and will continue through this weekend and next.
Macon is celebrating the 33rd Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival, among other Juneteenth events this week.
Recognized as a national holiday under the Biden administration, Juneteenth on June 19 recognizes “freedom’s arrival,” — when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, were emancipated in 1865 by Union troops.
Juneteenth Macon, a collaboration between Kwanzaa Cultural Access Center and Torchlight Academy, kicked off the festivities June 6 with a debutante ball by Macon Black Culture at the Douglass Theatre.
This week’s series of events began with the 20th Annual Real Talk Hip Hop Summit and Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Reunion Banquet, celebrating the historic Black neighborhood and its community Friday.
There will be more events Saturday through Sunday, honoring community and culture in Macon:
- Saturday, June, 14 — 19th Annual Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Reunion
- Saturday, June, 14 — 33rd Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival
- Sunday, June, 15 — Fathers and Family Juneteenth Celebration
- Monday, June, 16 — Macon Black History Van Tours
The Freedom Festival at Tattnall Square Park will feature live drumming, the Otis Redding Foundation Youth Performer Showcase and Black Union soldier reenactors.
“Our approach to culture and exposing, giving opportunities for our youth and the families to be exposed to new horizons in these realms of expression — that is a big goal of what we do,” said program coordinator of Torchlight and co-founder of the Kwanzaa center Fadil Muhammad.
The Tubman Museum will also celebrate Juneteenth and Black Music Month on June 19 from 5-8 p.m. with its “Rock My Soul” event at the museum, which will also feature a ceremony for the Legacy of Arts and Music Award recipients from throughout Middle Georgia.
On the Sunday following Juneteenth Day, Macon Black Culture in collaboration with Juneteenth Macon, will host the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Parade from 4-8 p.m. downtown.
For more information visit the Juneteenth Macon website.
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