South Florida marks Juneteenth with parade, music
MIAMI - It's a celebration of freedom.
Juneteenth, observed on June 19th, marks the day in 1865 when African Americans enslaved in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom. This announcement came two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and officially signaled the end of slavery in the United States.
Across the South, slaves learned they were free only after Union troops arrived, so there were "Juneteenth-like" events with different dates as Union troops arrived.
Here in the state of Florida, that date for us was May, 20th of 1865 when General Edwin McCook read the Emancipation Proclamation in Tallahassee.
In 2021, Juneteenth became the latest federal holiday in the US, the first to be approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
A number of events on Monday will celebrate Juneteenth.
At 10 a.m., the South Broward Juneteenth 7th Annual National Holiday Parade kicked off on Pembroke Road in Hollywood.
Several events are planned around Miami Beach to mark Juneteenth Independence Day, which also honors the contributions of Black Americans.
At Florida International University Miami Beach Urban Studios on Lincoln Road, there's the "Reflecting Black to the Future: Celebrating Emancipation and Freedom" exhibit by Dr. Valerie L. Patterson. This event offers a retrospective with mixed media, including digital technology.
The City of Miami Beach will celebrate its 4th annual Juneteenth Celebration at Bandshell Park. The event begins at 4 p.m. with a jazz picnic and performances by the New World School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble and The Harden Project.
Next, the gates to the Miami Beach Bandshell open at 6 p.m. for short film screenings at 6:30 p.m.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber will address the audience during a civic program that begins at 7:40 p.m. ahead of an 8 p.m. live performance by Hued Songs, who will present the Juneteenth Experience, a free multidisciplinary celebration of Juneteenth.
The entertainment features a diverse cast of local artists, including Miriam King, J'Von Brown, Jasmine Williams, Arsimmer McCoy, Darius Manuel, Eden Marte, Chauncy Riley, and King Friday with members from Zest Dance Collective under the direction of Artistic Director and Choreographer Gentry George.
Tickets are free and available to the public through Eventbrite.