‘Juneteenth is about freedom’: Community members gather at the Ritz Theater and Museum
Community members came together at the Ritz Theater and Museum on Saturday for one of several events to commemorate Juneteenth.
Hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation and several local organizations, this was the 10th anniversary of the celebration.
“Now, we have the opportunity to be able to let people know that we can move forward and do all of the wonderful things to keep our communities together,” board member Shirley Mikel-Meeks said. “It’s about keeping our people together, to educate our young people — and to know that our culture, our history, and the knowledge of what we do is important here in Jacksonville, Florida.”
Juneteenth officially became recognized as a federal holiday last year.
It commemorates the freeing of enslaved African Americans on June 19, 1865.
On that day, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were now free.
“Juneteenth is about freedom,” local author Jacqueline Collins said. “It’s when our people really found out we were free.”
“In today’s society, it gives us hope that freedom is attainable, that change eventually will come, and that if you keep pushing and keep striving — the sky is the limit,” Alonzo Wilson with Rabia Temple No. 8 said.
Three young community members shared their thoughts about Juneteenth.
“To me, it’s basically about Black people who fought for rights,” Rahleigh Edwards said.
“It’s about celebrating Black freedom,” Zion Lewis said.
“I feel like it’s about how Black people worked together to get out of slavery,” Kimora Kennedy said.
From workshops to documentaries and a lineup of local vendors, many shared that the day focused on reflecting on the history and looking ahead to the future.
Kimberly Green is the 2021-2022 Miss Juneteenth.
“During my reign, my platform was mental health within the youth,” Green said. “I focused mainly on 18 and younger. I went throughout the community speaking. I did back-to-school drives and helped out at day cares.”
She shared why representation is so important.
“Empowering youth that you can be anything, even little boys and girls that don’t see many successful people,” Green said.
The Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant will be held Saturday from 6-9 p.m.
“We have a lot of strength within ourselves,” Collins said. “To stop the killing of each other, come together and move together in unity.”
“We utilize this fantastic rich theater and museum to just show people that this is our country,” Mikel-Meeks said. “This is our history. This is a part of us. So we take this, and we utilize it to the best of our ability to let people know that even though the struggle continues — we’re going to continue to fight. We are going to make the best of what we can do to educate everyone to know that more power to the people.”
“We have a lot of strength within ourselves,” Collins said. “To stop the killing of each other, come together and move together in unity.”
CLICK HERE to learn more about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation.
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