Save the date! Jacksonville’s Emancipation Celebration – presented by Councilwoman @JucobyPittman, Friends of @JamesWeldonJohnsonPark and the @CityofJax – returns on Saturday, May 20, 2023! The festival will begin at 4 p.m. and close at 9 p.m. in James Weldon Johnson Park.

Headlining this year’s festival will be Dat’s Pressure Band, a Soul & R&B Vibe from Jacksonville. Award Winning Author, Actor, Professor, and Media Personality Rahman Johnson will host.  Other great local performers include Nan Nkama Pan-African & Drum Ensemble. Jacksonville Arts and Music School, Taryn “Love Reigns” Warwood, and Mal Jones and DJ C Note. A panel discussion of local historical figures, led by Dr. Tammy Hodo of All Things Diverse, will lend their voices to weave educational stories into the event.  In addition, Jacksonville’s Emancipation Celebration will feature local African American food trucks and vendors and fun activities for the kids. FREE to attend!

Emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee, Fla. on May 20, 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War, and two years after the Proclamation was first issued by President Abraham Lincoln to free those enslaved in Southern states. On May 10, Union General Edward M. McCook arrived in Tallahassee to receive the surrender of Florida’s Confederate troops. On May 20, McCook formally announced President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, effectively ending slavery in the state. While many people celebrate Juneteenth, Florida celebrates May 20 as its Emancipation Day.

For more information about Jacksonville’s Emancipation Celebration, please visit www.JamesWeldonJohnsonPark.org. Additional performances and a complete line-up will be announced soon.