SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — Social Circle Councilman Tyson Jackson said the community’s upcoming Juneteenth celebration was sparked by a young person’s curiosity.
“Being a city councilman, many citizens come to me with ideas and suggestions,” Jackson said. “One of our local high school students asked me why Social Circle did not celebrate Juneteenth. This planted the seed for the Social Circle Juneteenth Celebration.”
This is the second year many Social Circle residents will observe the holiday.
“At last year’s event, we had around 200 guests,” the councilman said.
“It rained yet we still carried out our celebration. We don't know what to expect this year.”
Juneteenth was made a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.
“Juneteenth serves and marks the day of June 19,1865 as Independence Day of our own,” Jackson said. “The people of our culture embrace this day that emancipates us from dark times of slavery endured by our ancestors; truly the ‘Freedom Day’ of our people.”
Jackson added that Juneteenth’s status as a national holiday is “a step forward in honoring the history of this country.”
The holiday commemorates the day a Union Army commander and 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation – which had been issued on Jan. 1, 1863 – and free more than 250,000 Americans who had remained enslaved.
The festival in Social Circle will play host to numerous small businesses and food vendors and features a car and bike show, musical entertainment and a comedian.
Jackson said the event also offers a way to give back to the community.
“We have started a scholarship fund to give away two scholarships a year,” he said. “Donations are open and welcomed as we strive forward for the empowerment of community.”
Donations can be made to $Juneteenthinsc or checks written to Social Circle Juneteenth. Vendors can email Juneteenthscvendor@gmail.com for more information.
The festival will be held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at 506 Fairplay Drive in Social Circle’s Stephens Park. The event is free to the public.
“We take all the money that is made and put it in back into the next festival,” Jackson said.
The Juneteenth Festival Board consists of Jackson, Sabrina Sanford-Flint, Tameka Nash, Matthew Gunn, April Williams and Travis McGuier.
In addition to the Juneteenth celebration in Social Circle, Friends of Zion Hill Cemetery in Monroe invite residents to participate in a Juneteenth community clean-up day.
Zion Hill Cemetery was once attached to the Zion Hill Baptist Church, which was formed by a group of former slaves that eventually became First African Baptist Church. In the mid-1800s the church split into two congregations, both of which moved to new locations. The old church property was split into lots and sold piecemeal, except for the cemetery property.
The cemetery is located at 226 Alcovy Street in Monroe.
Volunteers will be on site from 9 a.m. to noon. Water and snacks will be provided. Volunteers can help rake leaves and remove weeds and fallen branches. Participants may bring their own gardening tools if they wish.
Before work starts in the historic cemetery, there will be prayer and discussion of the history of slavery and Zion Hill.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/zionhillmonroegeorgia/.
