Juneteenth set to take place June 9

The 16th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival “It’s a Family Affair.” It will be held on Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 2 p.m. -8 p.m. in Louisiana Square on Railroad Avenue in Donaldsonville, LA.  The festival committee is committed to continue the tradition started in Donaldsonville by Former Mayor B.J. Francis Sr. and his wife, the late Janet G. Francis, in 1996 and continued throughout the years by Kathe Hambrick.

Juneteenth commemorates the day when slaves in the last geographic area in America where slavery existed learned of their freedom. This took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon Granger read General Order #3, announcing that "all slaves are free"by Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln. TheEmancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and issued on January 1, 1863. It took over two and a half years for the news to travel to southwest Texas. "Juneteenth is a landmark in history, a celebration of freedom and the end of enslavement in America," states Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the National Juneteenth Jazz Artist.

Donaldsonville’s Juneteenth’s line-up includes Host Comedian Bigg Sexxy, DJ Red Stylezz, River Road African American Museum Sign Language Ensemble, The Silhouette Dance Ensemble, Mos Scocious Blues Band and the Michael Foster Project.  

Come out, bring your family, blankets and chairs and listen to the wonderful sounds of Louisiana music and enjoy delicious cuisine.

If you are interested in festival sponsorship and/or becoming a vendor, please call Allison Hudson 504-610-3292, co-chairperson or Tamiko Francis Garrison, chairperson at 225-803-4042.