City of Donaldsonville hosts 26th annual Juneteenth Festival June 11 at Louisiana Square
The City of Donaldsonville will celebrate its 26th annual Juneteenth Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Louisiana Square on Railroad Avenue.
The city and the festival committee have carried on the festival tradition since its inception in 1996. Started by former Donaldsonville Mayor B.J. Francis Sr. and his late wife, Janet Ganes Francis, it was continued through the efforts of the River Road African American Museum and other volunteers in the community.
In 2011, Tamiko Francis Garrison (daughter of the late Bernard and Janet Francis), Allison Hudson, and the City of Donaldsonville assumed the planning of the festival.
The city announced the appointment of new committee members: Tamiko Stroud (the granddaughter of the late Bernard and Janet Francis), Tre’ Sullivan, Tre‘ Skidmore, Paige Joseph, and Skye Taylor.
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.
The Emancipation 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.
“The family-oriented festival is free and open to the public. Come out, bring your chairs, listen to the wonderful music, hear the history of Juneteenth and enjoy delicious cuisine of our local vendors” said Tamiko Terraz Stroud, volunteer co-chairperson.
Line-up:
- 11 to 11:30 a.m. -- History
- 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. -- Angel of Faith, Wanda August, Gospel Show live from Juneteenth
- 12:30 to 2 p.m. -- Michael Foster Project
- 2:30 to 4 p.m. -- Red Tape Musiq
- 4:30 to 6 p.m. -- Bucket List
- 6 to 7 p.m. -- DJ Trot
For general information, contact 225-717-1019 or 225-803-4042.