Juneteenth is Sunday, and there are plenty of weekend festivities available for Augustans to join in the celebration.
“A lot more people are celebrating now,” said Terrence Jackson, co-founder of community outreach nonprofit Band of Brothers Augusta, which coordinates the annual Juneteenth Augusta festival.
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, is a holiday commemorated on June 19 to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.
The date comes from June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years before, on Jan.1, 1863, legally freeing slaves in Confederate states. The enforcement of the proclamation largely depended on Union control of certain areas.
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The Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery in the United States was ratified on Dec. 6 and proclaimed on Dec. 18 of 1865.
However, June 19 persisted as a symbolic date representing liberation of enslaved African Americans, with celebrations in Texas beginning as early as 1866. The holiday spread throughout the U.S. as Black families migrated from Texas and brought Juneteenth observances with them to different parts of the country.
President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, marking Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
Band of Brothers, however, launched the first Juneteenth Augusta festival in 2017, to both commemorate and raise awareness of the day, says Washington.
“I knew about it a long time ago,” Washington said. “We just wanted to help teach everybody else about it, that’s all.”
Juneteenth Augusta encompasses several events throughout the downtown. On Friday at 8 p.m., the Paine College HEAL Complex will be the site of Mahogany Lounge: Juneteenth Edition. Mahogany Lounge is a recurring live event organized by local artist and promoter Dorian Harris featuring music, spoken word and poetry performances. The Juneteenth Edition of the Mahogany Lounge will be hosted by Augusta comedian Saseddrick Washington, and will have a fashion show, performances by local and out-of-town poets and a performance by violinist Javonne Jones.
On Sunday starting at noon, Band of Brothers, in partnership with the City of Augusta, will host the free to the public Juneteenth Festival downtown, where there will be food trucks and vendors available, wellness checks, as well as musical performances. Commissioner Jordan Johnson and Kigwana Cherry of Pop-Up Augusta will be among the speakers at the event.
The Center for African American History, Art and Culture will host a similar event in Aiken called “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom.” The Center notes on its website that this will be the “premier Juneteenth celebration in the city of Aiken.”
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On Saturday, the Augusta Museum of History will host “Celebrate Juneteenth 2022” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The commemoration, organized with Westobou and the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, will consist of presentations and activities for all ages. The “Voices of the Past” program, for example, will feature performers portraying historical figures from Augusta’s past, to “highlight Augusta’s connection to Liberia, Africa and Augusta’s involvement in the Civil Rights movement.”
“Our first time, there were probably 30 or 40 people out there,” said Washington, noting how the Juneteenth Augusta Festival has grown locally along with awareness and appreciation for the day’s significance. “Now we’re doing thousands. Every year gets better.”
Juneteenth Augusta Festival is on Sunday, June 19 at the Augusta Common, starting at noon, and is free to the public. For more information visit https://bandofbrothersaugusta.org/juneteenth-augusta/.
Mahogany Lounge: Juneteenth Edition will be held Friday at the Paine College HEAL Complex at 1255 Druid Park Ave. at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbee.com/v/mahoganyloungejuneteenthedition#/tickets.
Celebrate Juneteenth 2022 will be at the Augusta Museum of History, 560 Reynolds St., on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.augustamuseum.org/Juneteenth.
Juneteenth: A Celebration Freedom will be at Founders Park, 120 York St. NE, in Aiken, on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. For more information visit https://caahac.org/juneteenth-2-2/
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
