GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – Gainesville elected officials and community members will gather Monday morning at 9 a.m. to mark the fourth annual Journey to Juneteenth: Florida Emancipation to National Celebration.
“A flag-raising ceremony and proclamation will officially recognize Florida’s actual emancipation date – May 20, 1865 – the day when enslaved Africans first learned of their freedom in Tallahassee, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation,” the city said in a news release.
The ceremony will take place at the Gainesville City Hall Plaza located at 200 E. University Ave.
The event kicks off a monthlong series of events through June 19th, the date when communities nationwide commemorate the announcement of freedom reaching Texas in 1865.
This year’s events includes a screening of “Class of Her Own,” a newly-released documentary about the late Duval Elementary Teacher Gloria Jean Merriex and her teaching methods. That will be featured during the Juneteenth Film Festival on June 8.
Journey to Juneteenth events include:
- Before Juneteenth: Emancipation in Floridafilm screening, 7-8:30 p.m. Mon, May 20 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, free.
- Alachua County Community Remembrance Project exhibit opening honoring the victims of racial terror lynching, 1-3 p.m. Sat., June 1 at the Alachua County Admin Bldg, free.
- In Our Right Mind: Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias in Communities of Colorfilm screening, 5-7:30 p.m. Sun., June 2 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, free.
- Juneteenth Film Festival opening reception and screenings, 5-8:30 p.m. Sat., June 8 at the A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural Center, free.
- Greatest Graduation Party: For the Culture, 6-9 p.m. Sat., June 8 at the MLK Multipurpose Center, free.
- Smooth Flava Gainesville, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun., June 9 at Bo Diddley Plaza, free.
- The History of the Seminole Nation: Unchained and Unconquered, 4-8 p.m. Sun., June 9 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, free.
- Freedom Walk 5K, 7-10:30 a.m. Sat., June 15 at Depot Park, free.
- Freedom Fest 2024, 3-9 p.m. Sat., June 15 at Bo Diddley Plaza, free.
- Tha Cookout: A Juneteenth & Fatherhood Celebration, Noon-6 p.m. Sun., June16 at Cynthia Chestnut Park, free with registration.
- Justice on Trial: Reloaded, Off Broadway Play, 6 p.m. Sun., June 16 at Upper Room Ministries, ticketed
- Honoring the Journey to Freedom – Reflection and Resilience – and Still We Rise, 12-8 p.m. Tues., June 18 at the Santa Fe College Blount Center, free.
- Juneteenth Breakfast and Black Music Month Celebration, 7:30-9 a.m. Wed., June 19 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, ticketed
- The Jubilee: Celebrating Arts, Culture and Education, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wed., June 19 at Bo Diddley Plaza, free.
- Storytime at Depot Park, 10:30-11 a.m. Thurs., June 20 at Depot Park, free.
Additional details about Journey to Juneteenth events can be found here.