MACON, Ga. — Juneteenth is next Monday but Macon has been celebrating the holiday all week.
Juneteenth honors the day in 1865 when enslaved people were finally free upon the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas after the end of the Civil War. The day became a federal holiday in 2021, but Macon has been celebrating for over 30 years.
"Juneteenth means freedom. It means freedom now for Black people and ultimately for all people," Cofounder of the Juneteenth Freedom Festival George Fadil Muhammad said.
This year is the 31st festival in Macon. So far, there has been a bar crawl through downtown Macon, a special edition of Macon Storytellers focusing on the theme of freedom, workshops, tours, and more.
"It's a very beautiful experience that our community is still discovering that it is a reality and it has a lot of meaning, a lot of purpose, a lot of enjoyment, a lot of quality and culture that's intertwined in the experience," Muhammad said.
There is a full list of events both in Macon and across Central Georgia on 13wmaz.com
This year organizers have planned the first ever Juneteenth Freedom Parade and Family Reunion. The goal is to inspire unity and educate the community on the holidays history.
The parade route will cover important landmarks downtown like the Tubman Museum, the Otis Redding Foundation, Rosa Park Square, Poplar Street (which used to be an old slave market according to organizers) and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Muhammad says holding the parade isn't only about the joy of freedom but also about honoring his ancestors.
"We have consciousness and responsibility for our actions moving forward. We are acting on ancestral obligation and so the parade this year and going forward will underscore that," he said.
Muhammad says now is the time to celebrate and commemorate.
"Of course, July 4 is a good thing to be involved in and it's a good thing to say, 'This is the nation's freedom,' but the real freedom date that was a real highlight and a flashpoint for Black people in our journey here in this nation, in this country, on this land, in this continent was June 19, 1865," he said.
The Juneteenth Freedom Parade is on Monday and starts at 11 a.m. in downtown Macon. For more information and to keep up with Juneteenth events all week long, check out the Macon Black Culture Facebook page.