Decatur's 1st Juneteenth Celebration Set For Saturday

DECATUR, GA — Decatur-based Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights will host the city of Decatur's first-ever Juneteenth celebration.

Juneteenth recognizes the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas — the westernmost Confederate state — to announce that about 250,000 enslaved people in the state were free by executive decree on June 19, 1865, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law.

In addition to a Juneteenth celebration, the Decatur event also marks one year since the Confederate monument was removed from the Square.

Festivities will run from 4-8 p.m. at Decatur Square on Saturday, June 19.

“Together we can propel and sustain the movement for the removal of symbols of hate through collaboration across communities in the South,” said Fonta High, co-chair of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, in a news release. “We invite activists and advocates to join us on Juneteenth for support and inspiration during this time of celebration.”

The event — in partnership with the city of Decatur — includes a youth art and mural project, vendors and music. Advocates and activists will also share stories and lessons "from their organizing to remove symbols of white supremacy in their local communities," the release said.

Georgia became the 37th state to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday in 2011, according to the release.

“As we remember the removal of the Confederate obelisk on Juneteenth 2020, the city of Decatur is proud to be a partner in planning the first official Juneteenth event, and we look forward to this being the first of what we hope becomes an annual tradition,” Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett said.

Related:

• Decatur's Confederate Monument Removed Near Atlanta
• Thomas Jefferson Statue On Decatur Square Put Into Storage
• John Lewis Memorial Coming To Decatur Square