July 18
Love in the City: Romantic Date Night Tour and Scavenger Hunt
Downtown Pensacola 221 E Goverment Street Pensacola, Florida 32502 (850) 941-4321
Discovering Our Roots
Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated every year on June 19th in the United States, commemorating the end of slavery.
in Pensacola!
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Many local businesses and organizations are hosting Juneteenth events to commemorate the holiday.
The National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom accepted Fort Pickens, managed by Gulf Islands National Seashore, as one of over 650 sites, programs, and facilities within the Network. It joins 12 new listings from the 40th round of Network to Freedom applications, representing sites and programs in eight states across the United States. New listings were accepted in the final days of September, which represented International Underground Railroad Month in 11 states.
Fort Pickens, located on Pensacola Bay in northwest Florida, became a destination for freedom seekers starting in 1861. Eight enslaved people sought their freedom at the fort one month before the start of the Civil War. The commanding Union officer, however, sent them back to slavery. As a Union base throughout the war, untold numbers of freedom seekers chose to make their way to Fort Pickens later in 1861 and in 1862. In 1864, elements of the 25th U.S. Colored Troops marched into the fort. From Fort Pickens, these Black soldiers fought to defend the Union and destroy slavery.
A Family Reunion for the Culture
Save the date for our Juneteenth Celebration: A Family Reunion for the Culture Festival! It will be a fun filled day with special performances, food trucks, vendors, traditional card games, large kids zone, arts, crafts, African clothing, face painting, and much more! Don’t miss out!
The very first Juneteenth took place in 1866, a year after the slaves were finally freed. It was known as Jubilee Day, and as its name suggests, there was plenty of jubilation to be found. A typical Juneteenth celebration consisted of barbecues and music, and plenty of prayer and worship among freed Blacks who gathered to mark the occasion.
As Black people traveled throughout America, they took the tradition of the celebration with them. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated across the country with cookouts, neighborhood get-togethers, fairs, parades, and more.
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