Jacksonville will be home to several commemorations of this milestone in our country’s history. Here are a few of the events slated to take place this weekend:
4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Walk
8th and North Davis Street
Saturday, June 18
10 a.m.
Jacksonville Melanin Market
A Philip Randolph Boulevard
Saturday, June 18
3 p.m.
Jacksonville Juneteenth Celebration
Daily’s Place
Saturday, June 18
4 p.m.
Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant
The Ritz Theatre and Museum
Saturday, June 18
6:30 p.m.
Move For Change 5K
Seawalk Pavillion, Jax Beach
Sunday, June 19
9 a.m.
Juneteenth Bitcoin Block Party
Bethel Baptist Church
Monday, June 20
4 p.m.
Juneteenth — short for June Nineteenth — celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the United States. It was the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure that all enslaved people were freed.
As part of the national observance, local government offices will be closed. That will include Jacksonville City Hall, the Duval County Courthouse, the Supervisor of Elections Office, the city’s animal shelter and all COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites run by the city and city contractors.
