The 45th annual Juneteenth Heritage Festival in the City of Grambling opened with a short ceremony at the City Hall on Saturday, June 7. The ceremony opened gates for eight days of celebrating freedom, culture, community, and creativity.
The Festival gala took place Saturday evening at the Fredrick Hobdy Assembly Center foyer on the Grambling State University campus.
Cathy Homes Giles, councilwoman and Juneteenth committee president, read the poem titled “We Rose” by Christina Cape as she requested the audience to stand.
Sunday featured the gospel concert at Mt. Zion Baptist Church and a poetry reading session at City Hall.
“The words that I like are unity and hope for the city of Grambling. And we look to the light and we look to God to find things and to do things that are pleasing to our community here in the city of Grambling.” explained Mayor Alvin Bradley.
“Let us be mindful of how we are connected through shared experiences that strengthens our community bond and reinforces the collective memory of Juneteenth. Juneteenth is something that all of us should appreciate and participate in.” He concluded.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, commemorates the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the United States on June 19, 1865. The Grambling festival is organized by the city in conjunction with the Juneteenth Committee and the Greater Grambling Chamber of Commerce.
While citizens are urged to come out and have fun, they should remember the struggles Juneteenth represents. “You cannot move forward with your future if you’re not familiar with your past,” said Jeffery Sims, president of the Greater Grambling Chamber and Juneteenth committee member.
The festival will feature a fishing tournament on Saturday, June 14, in downtown Grambling starting at 8 a.m. with sign-in time at 7:30 a.m. at the recently stocked city park behind the Grambling Police Department. The Car Show opens in the parking lot of the Whittaker Christian Center located at the corner of Main Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue. at 10 a.m.
The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will hold a line dance session at City Hall at 6 p.m. Monday, June 16. The festival bake-off will take place Tuesday, June 17, as well as a health fair and a city-wide Bible study on Wednesday, June 18.
The Festival will wrap up on Thursday, June 19 with a parade down Main Street, featuring Terry Lilly and Gary Dupree as grand marshals. Vendors and a kids’ zone will also be set along Main Street.For more information about the Juneteenth festival and a complete list of events, visit gramheritagefest.com.
