COLUMN: Juneteenth events slated for this weekend in Middle Georgia

When George Fadil Muhammad and a handful of others saw the value of beginning a Juneteenth Freedom Festival in Macon 30 years ago, the term Juneteenth drew blank stares from most.

Though celebrated in many Black churches, Texas was the only state at the time officially recognizing June 19 and the days before and after it as Juneteenth or as worthy of observance.

By 2000 only three others had.

Today, Juneteenth is in place as an official federal holiday for the first year and observed in most states with a baker’s half-dozen, Georgia included, making it a paid state holiday.

But is there widespread recognition of what Juneteenth is and, as important, what it signifies?

Muhammad believes there’s work to be done and that’s why he and others have grown the Macon Juneteenth event each year. Other communities in Middle Georgia have begun celebrations as well, including Warner Robins, Perry and Fort Valley.

As far as getting out and about for celebrations, it’s already been a busy week for the Macon festival with a Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Reunion, programs at the Douglass Theatre, Macon Black History Tours and discussions and summits on topics from health to hip hop.

All these lead up to the main, free festival activities Saturday and Sunday at and around Tattnall Square Park.

Complete weekend activities, more information and Juneteenth history are at www.juneteenthmacon.com, but from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Tattnall Square Saturday you can look forward to art exhibits and sales, music and dance, food, cultural and historical presentations and a Black Union Soldiers Living History Presentation.

The day’s music from local artists will culminate in the evening with the nationally known Butcher Brown Band.

On Sunday, the festival brings two legendary percussionists for a noon master’s workshop: Lil’ John Roberts and Mino Cinelu. An evening concert will showcase the Lil’ John Roberts Fusion Ensemble featuring Cinelu with a salute to the music of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, famous fusion group Weather Report and more.

Roberts and Cinelu are known for their work with these and others on jazz/fusion’s who’s who list.

Then again, from 2 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, there will be exhibits, presentations, performances and activities including a Father’s Day salute.

Muhammad stressed the weekend’s activities are free and open to the public, that is, the entire Middle Georgia community despite race or other descriptors. He said his hope is through a better understanding of Juneteenth, and through celebrating it as a community, all will benefit.

“Everyone is welcome, community-wide,” he said. “We all have so much to learn about that era and so much to reflect on about how all kinds of people were affected, black and white and Native people. It was an era of tremendous pain and suffering but great joy as well. There’s a lot to learn and Juneteenth is an opportunity for learning and very deep reflection for those who chose to make it so.”

And, he said, it’s a time to inspire positive change and action. Still, it’s centered primarily on Black Americans’ experiences.

“Of course, there’s the special significance for the black community which has experienced a significant deficit in education, knowledge and opportunity,” Muhammad said. “We want to see advances in these areas and inspire pride in our community and among young people. We want to bring about better behavior and appreciation of our legacy of integrity. Still, it is an American celebration now. Everything in the bounds of this nation and continent is improved when you finally give freedom to those whose freedom has most greatly been deprived. It’s only then you are truly becoming whole as a nation.”

Historically, Muhammad pointed out that though the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in Confederate states by law in 1863, such laws don’t change things until forcibly applied. That happened in Texas when Union army Gen. Gordon Granger arrived and proclaimed it so on June 19, 1865, thus the Juneteenth date. Even then, as in other Southern states and with the presence of Union troops, change was slow and many Texas landowners didn’t inform slaves of their freedom until after crops were harvested.

In Macon, having the celebrations at Tattnall Square is significant and brings a little-known fact to light. According to Muhammad, and as stated on www.juneteenthmacon.com, “In Macon, enslaved black people became ‘freedmen’ somewhere between April 20, 1865, when Macon was surrendered at Tattnall Square Park to the troops of Union Army General (James H.) Wilson; and July 1865, after a formal proclamation of slavery’s ending had been made from the Bibb County courthouse and the U.S. Freedman’s Bureau arrived to provide assistance to formerly enslaved black people.”

Muhammad said Muriel Jackson, head of genealogy and the Washington Memorial Library’s historical room, is the local authority on such things who enlightened him and others of the fact only a dozen or so years ago.

This year’s Juneteenth Freedom Festival is in partnership with Project BADD – “Brining African Americans Downtown” – which was formed by numerous organizations and business people following acts of downtown violence as a way to dispel notions that downtown was unsafe but rather was safe and accessible to African Americans.

Other area Juneteenth events include:

• Fort Valley: Friday downtown featuring history, music, food and a kid zone.

• Perry: Saturday noon until 3 p.m. at Rozar Park, 1060 Keith Dr. featuring entertainment, face painting, kid’s activities and more.

• Warner Robins: Saturday featuring a parade beginning at 10 a.m. along Ignico Drive to North Davis Drive to Young Avenue, a 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. festival at the Perkins Field/Wellston Center area, 105 Mulberry Court, and a business expo from noon until 6 p.m.

Another event worth getting out and about for is the finale performance Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Grand Opera House of this year’s Otis Music Camp. The camp is sponsored by the Otis Redding Foundation each year to aid talented young people in singing, musicianship, performance, songwriting and other creative endeavors. The event is the first live grand finale since COVID-19 closures.

Admission is a $10 suggested donation at the door.

“This year, there were 40 kids and 25 coaches at the camp and Saturday you’ll see and hear them in performances ranging from jazz to rock to classical and R&B to pop – there’s even a rap mix involved,” said Karla Redding-Andrews, the foundation’s vice-president and executive director and daughter of Otis Redding.

“This year has been really remarkable since 50 percent of our campers were new to the program,” she said. “We had a wonderful few weeks with them on the campus of Mount de Sales but are looking forward to being in our own facility next year.”

The foundation is currently building its own facility, now nearing the completion of its design phase. With fundraising still underway, Redding-Andrews said the new facility will multiply the number of camp participants in future years as well as those in yearlong programs.

The foundation can be contacted at www.otisreddingfoundation.org.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.