06/05/2026
(Thank You Rome News-Tribune for your help in promoting these Activities!)
Juneteenth events hope to unify community, raise awareness
Mo Burge | [email protected]
When Union troops rode into Galveston Bay in Texas on June 19, 1865, they brought with them news worth celebrating.
President Abraham Lincoln had declared enslaved people free nearly two years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, but the news had not yet spread to Texas, still under Confederate control.
The news was life-changing for the 250,000-plus people in the state who just learned they were now free by executive decree.
Juneteenth was made a national holiday in June 2021 and is widely recognized as the country’s “second independence day,” according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
To bring the local community together to celebrate, the Northwest Georgia Juneteenth Festival Committee was formed. The festival is scheduled for Friday, June 19, from 2 to 7 p.m. in the field behind Main Elementary School, 3 Watters St. in Rome.
Singers and dancers, guest speakers and food vendors will be on site at the free event. There will also be a voter registration drive. Organizers emphasized the festival is meant to bring the entire community together, not just African Americans.
“It’s an American holiday for everybody,” said Joyce Greene, a member of the committee.
It’s more than a celebration; it’s an opportunity to raise awareness about a historical event.
“It’s a great opportunity to educate people about Juneteenth,” said Alvin Jackson, a Rome school board member who also serves on the committee.
April Wells Sams said it was important to form a committee so that there is a dedicated effort to plan an event that serves as a reminder and to galvanize.
Plans are taking shape, and Sams said the community’s response during the planning phase has been positive.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support behind the scenes,” she said.
The Rome-Floyd NAACP also has plans to continue its tradition of a downtown parade on Saturday, June 20.
This is the fourth year for the parade, and chairperson Jackie Jenkins said the event is important because it preserves vital history, celebrates resilience and presents a picture of “the true scope of American freedom.”
“We also want to foster cross-cultural connection with everyone that lives here in Floyd County,” she said. “This can also be an educational tool allowing for school-age students to learn the experience of others. (It) also reminds us of how far we have come and the importance of how far we still have to go.”
Jenkins said it is an opportunity for all generations to reflect on how to do more, especially in light of what is currently happening in America with voting rights and how we define citizenship in this nation.
“Juneteenth should be a call for all of us to think about the meaning of freedom for all people all over the world,” Jenkins said. “Celebrating isn’t just about looking back at a specific moment in history; it’s about recognizing that the promise of equality is something we all share responsibility for.:
By participating in Juneteenth celebrations, she said, people are honoring the struggles and triumphs that shaped the nation, learning from the past and helping to build a more inclusive future.
“It’s not about claiming someone else’s story — it’s about standing alongside it, listening and letting it inspire how we treat one another today,” Jenkins said. “In that way, the holiday becomes a bridge, not a boundary.”
To donate, sponsor or volunteer for the Juneteenth celebrations, call 706-766-2102 or 706-331-1098. To register for the parade, visit RomeFloydNAACP.org/Juneteenth.
Registration is free, and the event lineup begins at 9:30 a.m., with a start time of 11 a.m.
