Juneteenth: Here's how the Upstate will celebrate, commemorate

Angelia L. Davis and A.J. Jackson, Greenville News
·4 min read
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One hundred and fifty-seven years ago and two years after President Abraham Lincoln declared Emancipation Proclamation, news that slavery was outlawed reached Galveston, Texas.

The enslaved African Americans there celebrated after the announcement, and the following year, organized what would become the annual celebration of Juneteenth.

In the time since, the Juneteenth holiday, also known as Freedom Day, has represented a time to gather with family and community, honor the present and reflect on shared history and tradition, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Here's how Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, will be observed and commemorated across the Upstate:

For subscribers: Lincoln abolished slavery in Washington, DC, months before the Emancipation Proclamation. Here's the story behind the act.

Friday, June 17

GREENVILLE

  • Juneteenth: A National Day of Commemoration and Protest, at 11 a.m., at the Confederate Memorial Park and Soldier Statue at Falls Park, Main Street entrance.

    The Malcolm X Center for Human Rights, Upstate Black Lives Matter, SC Stolen Lives Project/October 22nd Coalition, Upstate Food Not Bombs, Justice Intervention Initiative, scholars, and activists will join individuals and organizations across the U.S. in calling for an end to police violence, full substantive economic, political, and social, justice.

  • City of Greenville's Juneteenth Celebration is from 4-6 pm at the Unity Park Welcome Center. A mural will be unveiled on the side of the building dedicated to Elias Holloway and his wife Hattie. Mayor Knox White will speak. There will be a poetry reading by Glenis Redmond, jazz and live art.

FAMU will present Thurgood
FAMU will present Thurgood

  • Florida A&M University Upstate SC Alumni will present "Thurgood," a play written by George Stevens Jr. and performed by Larry Murphy, at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center, 335 Greenacre Road. This one-man play is a portrayal of America's first African American Supreme Court Justice. General admission $10; VIP Tickets $25. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, call Tracy Isham at 864-356-6856 or at Famu.upstatesc.sec@gmail.com.

SPARTANBURG

Saturday, June 18

GREENVILLE

  • Juneteenth GVL Mega Fest 5K & Yoga with Vets will be from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in Falls Park. These events are open to the public and to all age groups. The cost is $22  for the 5K (7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.). Yoga with Vets (9 a.m. to 10 a.m.) is free.

  • Juneteenth GVL Mega Fest, Sat, 11 a.m. - 10 pm. in Falls Park. The event is free for the entire family and will feature a day full of cultural and live performances from local bands, vendors and more.

  • Young Afro Excellence will have its  2nd Annual Black History Vendor Expo from noon to 5 p.m., at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center.

FOUNTAIN INN

  • Juneteenth Soul Food Festival, noon to 6 p.m., Main Street,  Fountain Inn, SC 29644

    The event will feature Soul Food, Live Music and the Spoken Wood. Cost: Free.

SPARTANBURG

  • Juneteenth Festival, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Barnet Park. The festival will include food, a kids zone, live performances, and shopping vendors.

More: Juneteenth celebrations kickoff in Spartanburg. Here's what to know about the events.

ANDERSON

  • Anderson Juneteenth Event, 10 AM – 7 PM, Anderson Civic Center, 3027 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. The event will feature Black business vendors, a kids area, a car and bike show, a blood pressure testing area, voter registration set up, alongside performances by gospel singer Dottie Peoples, The Company Band and local dance artists. The goals of this Juneteenth celebration are to provide intergenerational entertainment, equip citizens to be involved civically and to expose the Black businesses of Anderson

  • Prelude to Juneteenth & Ceremony of Remembrance, 5 p.m. Friday, North Main Commons, 500 block of North Main Street. Bring a lawn chair out for poetry, interpretive dance, food trucks, dramatic readings, and a musical performance by Loretta Holloway. The event will also encourage conversations about the five victims of racial lynching that took place in Anderson (1894 - 1911), with a goal of promoting unity within the community.

Peace Center
Peace Center

Sunday, June 19

GREENVILLE

  • The 2022 Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration will be held from 2 to 8 p.m., at the TD Stage at the Peace Center.

  • The event is free and open to all. It will feature live music, crafts and face painting for children, local food trucks and performances by The Jamie Wright Band, Alphaeus Anderson & Pure-N-Heart, Reggie Rocc, Vaughn Newman Dance, ZAKI West African Drum & Dance Ensemble and Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues., and more.

SPARTANBURG

June 20

GREENVILLE

  • Juneteenth Celebration and Observance, at 5:45 p.m., Mattoon Presbyterian Church, 415 Hampton Avenue. This event will feature the Berea College SC Alumni Choir, P-Mac Youth Drum Circle, Courageous Conversations facilitated by Speaking Down Barriers, Wholly Smoke Family Restaurant. $5 donation. Bring a chair or a blanket

If you have a Juneteenth event you'd like to have added to this list, please email it to me at davisal@greenvilleonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Juneteenth celebrations in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson areas