3RD ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION TO TAKE PLACE JUNE 17

Friday, June 16, 2023 - 14:38

(Charleston, W. Va.) – The City of Charleston Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with community organizations, will host the 3rd Annual Juneteenth community celebration on Saturday, June 17. The celebration will kick-off with a parade at noon, followed by a festival at City Center at Slack Plaza from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

“It is great to see our community come together in celebration of Juneteenth alongside communities throughout our country,” said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. “Together, through local celebrations, we have the opportunity to commemorate this important day, to promote cultural awareness, and strengthen our community.”

“Our Juneteenth celebration is so special this year because so many local organizations worked together in partnership with Parks and Recreation to provide something great for our community,” said Rashaun Poore, Director of Parks and Recreation. “Our collective efforts to plan to deliver, fun, entertainment, and love is a testament to what we can do when we work together!”

“Rev. Paul Anthony Dunn, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Charleston and a proud native of Texas has described the back story of Juneteenth as he recently defined the four original pillars of Juneteenth which included to following: 1. The reunification of the family which had been violently separated in slavery; 2. Commitment to deal with the problem of mass illiteracy among slaves who were not allowed to read; 3. Ex-slaves were encouraged to get involved in the political process by identifying Blacks who could run for office; and 4. Ex- slaves were prompted to sue their former owners whose fortunes were derived from the brutalities that slaves had endured. This was the initial stimulus of the demand for Reparations,” said Reverend Ronald English, President of the NAACP.

Parade

Parade lineup will begin at 11 a.m. on Donnally Street in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. Donnally Street, from Court Street to Clendenin Street will be closed to traffic during lineup.

Step off for the parade will begin promptly at noon. Parade participants will take Donnally Street to Summers Street and end at City Center at Slack Plaza. Rolling closures will take place along the parade route.

Juneteenth Festival

The Juneteenth Festival will take place at City Center at Slack Plaza from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. In addition to a robust lineup of events, the festival will include vendors, kids zone, and more.

1:00pm – Opening Ceremony - Council Member Jennifer Pharr

1:05pm – Prayer - Reverend Ronald English

1:10pm – Speaker – Pastor Paul A. Dunn (First Baptist Church of Charleston, WV)

1:15pm – Musical Performance - Lift Every Voice - Myana Mosley

1:20pm – Announcement of Mr. & Miss Juneteenth

1:30pm – Speech - Xinos Epsilon

1:35pm – Step Performance - Xinos Epsilon

1:45pm – Speaker - Lakiesha Lloyd (Common Defense)

1:55pm – Line Dancing - Carl Chadband

2:10pm – Speaker - Robert Burton (Charleston Community Historian & Activist)

2:20pm – Greek Stroll

2:35pm – Musical Performance – “JoeMac”

2:45pm – Musical Performance – “Ish”

3:10pm – Musical Performance - The Capital City Fellowship Choir

3:40pm – Musical Performance - Michelle Dyess

4:00pm – Musical Performance - The Unit Band

Partners for the Juneteenth event include: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Black by God WV, Black Voters Impact Initiative, Buffalo Soldiers, Carl Chadband, Carlotta Tyree, Charleston Alumni Chapter-Kappa Alpha Psi, Charleston Institute Chapter LINKS, Inc., CORD-Episcopal Church, Crowned King, Council of Churches, Delphine Jewelry, Dem 2 Brothers and A Grill, Esteps, First Watch, Graziano's, Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Howard Tyree, John Williams, Kathy Ferguson, NAACP, Our Future WV, Nicole Grimes-Reaves Law Firm, Right at Home, Sonya Grimes, Taylor Books, WV Center on Budget and Policy, WV Citizen Action Group, and the YWCA of Charleston.