On Friday, June 16, Mayor Lester Miller presented a proclamation to Macon Black Culture, Kwanzaa Cultural Access Center, Inc., Barbers on Duty, Inc., and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission in observance of Juneteenth. You can read the full proclamation here.
Juneteenth – also known as “Emancipation Day,” “Emancipation Celebration,” “Freedom Day,” and “Juneteenth Independence Day” – is a federal holiday and local organizations have come together to have a weekend events. This includes the inaugural Juneteenth Parade on Monday, June 19, 2023.
“We want to make sure all Macon-Bibb County recognizes this day in history,” said Mayor Miller. “I’m proud to be part of a community that celebrates how far we have come as a society and continues to strengthen our history. ”
“History has positives and negatives. This is a positive, especially for the MLK board,” said Commissioner Elaine Lucas. “We’re representing a group that wants everybody in this community to be involved. It represents progress for our community. I am so proud of the organizations that came together to make these events happen. Please participate if you can.”
“Unless we’re all thriving, then our city can’t thrive as a whole,” said Amina Muse Dixon, co-founder of Macon Black Culture. “The first event that we decided to do, that could encompass all that we’re trying to do, is the Juneteenth parade. We want to put love, unity, empowerment, and pride on display.”
The Juneteenth Parade is from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. It starts at the Tubman African American Museum (310 Cherry Street), goes down Cherry Street, left on Second Street, and down Poplar Street towards Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
There is also a Family Reunion following the parade, at Cherry Street Park, in front of the Tubman African American Museum from 12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. with live entertainment, spades tournament, and kid-friendly activities.
“This is a part of moving forward. You learn from looking back at mistakes,” said George Muhammad with the Kwanzaa Cultural Access Center, Inc. “It makes me feel good that we have that we have a generation that is going to continue to invest in future generations.”