As Florida gears up to celebrate Juneteenth, let’s not forget about May 20
Think back to the year 1865.
There was no internet. No social media. No way to instantaneously receive the news of the day.
So when a group of Union soldiers, led by Major General Edward McCook, trekked into Tallahassee on May 20, 1865, there was likely a buzz around the city. Then came McCook’s reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, punctuated by the words “all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free.”
As the state of Florida gears up to celebrate Juneteenth on June 19, May 20 — also known as “Emancipation Day” or “May Day” — cannot be forgotten. The date holds significance because it’s when more than 60,000 enslaved Africans in Florida learned of their freedom, roughly a month before Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the same on June 19, 1865 and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. With the attacks against Black history an ongoing issue in Florida and beyond, May 20 bears even more importance “in understanding the evolution of the republic,” according to historian Tameka Bradley Hobbs.
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“Black people got to enter democracy at a very different point and we need to own that,” said Hobbs, who also serves as the project manager for the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale. Hobbs is part of a collective that created the digital history project “The 20th of May: The History and Heritage of Florida’s Emancipation Day.”
“History is made up of what is preserved and not everything that happened,” she added.
A native of Live Oak, Fla., Hobbs has very vivid memories of the May Day celebrations from her childhood. There would be food, games and a multi-generational gathering of the community. Similar celebrations that often involved parades took place across the state, primarily in the north and central parts of Florida but also Key West. Tallahassee, however, was home to one of the first celebrations, which began in 1867.
“We looked forward to going — the children — because it was a lot of play time, a lot of food but first they told us why we were there: to celebrate freedom,” John G. Riley Museum founder Althemese Barnes said in a documentary created by South Florida People of Color and Florida Humanities. Barnes’ great grandmother started the Emancipation Day celebrations in Tallahassee. “To forget the past denies future generations and present generations their heritage and a foundation for hope.”
Former state Sen. Dwight Bullard didn’t hear about Emancipation Day until he got to the state’s capital to attend Florida A&M. As the fanfare around Juneteenth increased over the years, he had been wary of the holiday’s commodification. He cautions against the framing of Juneteenth — as well as Emancipation Day — around the “benevolence of white people,” calling the holidays “a celebration of Black liberation” instead of American exceptionalism.
“Black struggle and Black liberation have always been incumbent on Black people to define how that looks,” said Bullard, who said he believes Florida should make Emancipation Day a holiday as well. “It’s all part of the American story that now, full circle, they don’t want you to talk about.”
President Joe Biden signed a resolution that made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. A 1991 resolution passed in the Florida Legislature declared June 19 — not May 20 — as Emancipation Day, however, it’s not an official holiday in the state. The Florida Department of State, in concert with the Museum of Florida History and the Riley House Museum, has held a yearly May 20 celebration since 1997, yet only Leon County recognizes it as a paid holiday.
And while organizations such as the NAACP have continued to advocate for the correction at the legislative level, Hobbs asserts that the fight for recognition isn’t about choosing one holiday over another. Instead, it’s about promoting a larger conversation about slavery’s impact on the state and America as a whole.
“We do children a disservice if we don’t tell them the full story,” she said.
Miami-area Juneteenth Events
Black Card: Transactions of Cultural Currency
Hampton Art Lovers Presents “BLACK Card: Transactions of Cultural Currency” a new installation, featuring the art of Brandon Clarke. June 17, 6-9 p.m. at 249 NW 9th St., Miami
MLK Cultural Arts Corridor hosts a family friendly high-spirited celebration of freedom, unity, and equality. June 17, 2 p.m. at 6214 NW 18th Ave., Miami
Hosted by comedian Marvin Dixon and featuring DJ Bo Weezy, the celebration will feature local talent showcasing the community’s diversity, unity and achievements. June 17, 5 p.m. at 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gardens
The festival will feature live performances by local artists and musicians, as well as a variety of food vendors offering delicious eats and drinks. June 16-18 - Friday-Saturday, 3-11 p.m., Sunday, noon-10 p.m. at Griffing Park, NE 123rd St. and W. Dixie Hwy., North Miami
FIU’s Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration
This free event will feature performances by Guitars Over Guns, DJ Slim City, and DJ Bre, artisan vendors, activities, dancers, food trucks, raffles, and fun for the whole family. June 17, 1-5 p.m. at 11200 SW Eighth St., Miami
African Proverb Delou Africa Dance Ensemble hosts families for an inter-generational Drum and Dance class in celebration of Juneteenth and Father’s Day. June 18, 1-5 p.m. at 3000 NW 199th St., Miami Gardens
Hued Songs presents The Juneteenth Experience
The event includes performances that include spoken word, song, dance and animation. Pre-concert attendees can enjoy the Miami Beach Juneteenth Picnic in the Park. June 19, 7:30 p.m. at 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
