Staff Reports
The city of Gainesville will start its month-long list of Juneteenth events starting Friday and Saturday.
Juneteenth honors the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in a general order issued on June 19, 1865, in Texas.
Friday, May 19
Journey to Juneteenth Kickoff – 9-10 a.m. at City Hall Plaza (200 E. University Ave.)
The event will start with reading the Juneteenth proclamation and raising the Juneteenth flag at Gainesville City Hall.
Saturday, May 20
Florida’s Emancipation: Celebrating Our Ancestors – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center (837 SE 7th Ave)
This event commemorates May 20, 1865, as the day the enslaved people in Florida heard the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on the steps of the Knott’s Building in Tallahassee. Events will feature a neighborhood parade, the placing of flags for mock graves of fallen soldiers who died during the Civil War at that time, soul food and other sales, music, dancing, and spoken word poetry. It is recommended to bring a lawn chair to this event. The event is free, but participants can RSVP here.
The remaining events for the “Journey to Juneteenth” will begin on June 10 and continue through Juneteenth on June 19.