One of the many sights and scenes for Juneteenth this year included fighting the power for the Junteenth at the Tea Posh Natural restaurant at their new location on 8th street. The restaurant held a Junteenth vendor pop up celebration in their parking lot featuring vendors showcasing African American wares and items for the public to educate themselves on African American history. Everything from African apparel to Black Lives Matters pamphlets were on hand to educate attendees on the Junteenth holiday.
Another celebration held around the city included the Martin Luther King foundation presentation of their 8th annual parade to celebrate the held their 8th the 155th Anniversary of the Texas African-American Emancipation. There theme this year was “Joy and Resistance.” The Juneteenth Freedom Walk began at Newnan Street and Bay Street to the Duval County Courthouse. \
Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day. It is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Originating in Texas, it is now celebrated annually on the 19th of June throughout the United States, with varying official recognition. Specifically, it commemorates Union Army General Gordon Granger announcing federal orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free. President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had officially outlawed slavery in Texas and the other states in rebellion against the Union almost two and half years earlier.
Shown l-r at the Tea Posh celebration are soul sisters Shawntora Whitfield, Joy Young and Vitoria Paige; Shown right are the MLK paraders at the courthouse.
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