Juneteenth, Black freedom celebrated in East Jackson

Saturday was hot, but that mattered little to the people celebrating Juneteenth on Hays Avenue around the T.R. White Sportsplex.

A block of Hays was blocked off for the party.

A stage hosted various singers performing different genres of music. Face-pointing, voter registration, jewelry vendors and more lined the street.

This celebration was put together by the Society for African-American Cultural Awareness, and the objective was to celebrate the freedom of former slaves and ultimately Black people in the United States.

Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday in 2021. It’s origin comes from the end of the Civil War when President

Wendy Trice-Martin, who coordinated the event, invited those in attendance who were running for local elected office onto the stage to speak to their potential constituents.

During the afternoon hours, District 6 School Board candidate Winnette Bobo spoke along with Jonathan Joy and Sheila Godwin, both running for the Democratic nomination for State Representative representing District 80, which is Hardeman County and the southern part of Madison County.

But as soon as the political statements had been made, Trice-Martin made sure to get back to the music.

“June is African-American Music Month, so we certainly want to celebrate all types of African-American music today,” Trice-Martin told the crowd.

Not far from the stage that had people dancing in the street in front of it was the children’s area, with bouncy houses, cornhole and other games to play if they needed some help in figuring out what to play. Many of them played on the hillside of the former Union University campus between where cars were parked and where the trees were, where there was some shade.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news