Florida Emancipation Day again recognized in Gainesville at museum in Black community

Voleer Thomas
·5 min read

The city of Gainesville kicked off its month-long Journey to Juneteenth celebration on Saturday with a Freedom Walk to recognize and honor Emancipation in Florida.

Residents from Gainesville’s historically Black neighborhoods and vendors from organizations and businesses attended the event to celebrate Gainesville’s 4th annual “Journey to Juneteenth: Florida Emancipation to National Celebration.”

The festivities began with dozens of people walking from Depot Park to the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center at 837 SE Seventh Ave. to watch performances and learn more about the history of Florida’s Emancipation Day.

“We are one of the fewest cities to recognize Florida’s Emancipation Day,” said Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward. “We believe it is important to celebrate the journey all month long. We are excited to see all of you celebrate Florida’s Emancipation Day and African American history. If you don’t know African American history, you don’t know American history.”

The month-long celebration will include a ceremony proclamation that was held at city hall Monday (May 20) that featured city of Gainesville recognizing Florida’s actual emancipation date of May 20, 1865.

That day is when enslaved Africans first learned of their freedom in Tallahassee, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Adam Maxwell, an executive assistant at the Office of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Gainesville, gave remarks on behalf of the office and its employees.

“We are excited to celebrate the journey from Florida’s Emancipation Day to Juneteenth with you all,” Maxwell said. “We give honor to you [Vivian Filer] because you were the catalyst for this Florida Emancipation Day event.”

Journey to Juneteenth is a month-long program of events starting in the month of May through June 19th, the date when communities nationwide commemorate the announcement of freedom reaching Texas in 1865.

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Filer said she loves the support from the city and community to make the celebration a success.

“Our goal is for Florida to know more of its own history,” she said. “The city has supported it fully and I am so proud of that. This model is being copied from other cities. I am thrilled to see that people are here and want to learn more.”

Emancipation Day festivities on Saturday in Gainesville began with dozens of people walking from Depot Park to the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. The walk was led by Vivian Filer, front left, executive director of the museum and Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, front right. (Credit: Photo provided by Voleer Thomas)
Emancipation Day festivities on Saturday in Gainesville began with dozens of people walking from Depot Park to the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. The walk was led by Vivian Filer, front left, executive director of the museum and Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, front right. (Credit: Photo provided by Voleer Thomas)

Events during the celebration will include:

  • Before Juneteenth: Emancipation in Florida free film screening at 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday (May 20) at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center at 837 SE Seventh Ave.

  • Alachua County Community Remembrance Project free exhibit honoring the victims of racial terror lynching at 1-3 p.m. on June 1 at the Alachua County Administration Building at 12 SE First St.

  • In Our Right Mind: Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias in Communities of Color free film screening from 5-7:30 p.m. on June 2 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center.

  • Juneteenth Film Festival opening free reception and screening from 5-8:30 p.m. June 8 at the A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural Center at 1013 NW Seventh Ave.

  • Greatest Graduation Party: For the Culture that will be a free event from 6-9 p.m. on June 8 at the MLK Multipurpose Center at 1028 NE 14th St.

  • Smooth Flava Gainesville’s free line dance party from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. June 9 at Bo Diddley Plaza at 111 E. University Ave.

  • The History of the Seminole Nation: Unchained and Unconquered free event from 4-8 p.m. on June 9 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center.

  • Freedom 5K Walk from 7-10:30 a.m. on June 15 at Depot Park at 874 SE Fourth St.

  • Freedom Fest 2024 free event from 3-9 p.m. June 15 at Bo Diddley Plaza.

  • Tha Cookout: A Juneteenth & Fatherhood Celebration from Noon-6 p.m. on June 16 at Cynthia Moore Chestnut Park at 2315 SE 35th St. This event is free with registration at https://t.ly/8MykH.

  • Justice on Trial: Reloaded: Off Broadway Play at 6 p.m. on June 16 at Upper Room Ministries at 3575 NE 15th St. Tickets can be purchased at https://t.ly/_4S_2 or by calling 212-786-6460.

  • Honoring the Journey to Freedom free event from noon-8 p.m. June 18 at the Santa Fe College Blount Center at 530 W. University Ave.

  • Juneteenth Breakfast and Black Music Month Celebration from 7:30-9 a.m. June 19 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. Tickets can be purchased at https://t.ly/1PcPh.

  • The Jubilee: Celebrating Arts, Culture and Education free event from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 19 at Bo Diddley Plaza.

  • Storytime at Depot Park free event from 10:30-11 a.m. on June 20.

“I love going to cultural events,” said Cathy Norman, owner of Intuitive Designs.

Norman was one of the vendors at the Florida Emancipation Day celebration on Saturday where she sold accessories for both men and women.

“I’m such a fan of the Cotton Club Museum and what they are doing for the community,” Norman said.

Deloris Rentz, a board member and financial secretary of the museum, presided over the celebration and urged the audience to spread the knowledge to their families and friends.

“You must keep it alive,” Rentz said. “It must be our responsibility and our task to pass it on. They are trying to remove it from our schools and textbooks.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Emancipation Day in Florida again celebrated in Gainesville