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The city of Franklin will be the site of multiple Juneteenth celebrations, led first by the nonprofit Amun Ra Inc.’s third annual Spectacular Juneteenth Cultural Celebration that grows to four days this year.

The Amun Ra-led event will run from Thursday, June 19, through Sunday, June 22, and will feature events at Bon Secours – Southampton Medical Center, 100 Fairview Drive; Barrett’s Landing Park, 100 Barrett St.; the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 683 Oak St.; and College Drive Park.

CITY-LED JUNETEENTH EVENT

The city of Franklin will be holding a Juneteenth Cultural Celebration on Thursday, June 19, from 6-8:30 p.m. at Barrett’s Landing. The event will feature live music, line dancing, food, family friendly activities, vendors and more.

According to the city’s event information on social media, entertainment will include the Cultured Jazz Combo, line dancing will be led by Sheena Graham and food trucks will include H&H Food Truck, Hope 4 Snow, and TW’s Bistro & Grill.

A Kids Corner will include face painting by Alice in Wonderland, Jumbo Jenga, crafts, blow up axe throwing, limbo, Jumbo Connect 4 and giveaways.

AMUN RA-LED JUNETEENTH EVENT

Amun Ra representative Gregory McLemore, who also sits on the Franklin City Council, noted that Amun Ra’s Juneteenth event runs multiple days to help draw people to Franklin beyond the single-day celebrations that many localities hold.

The third annual Spectacular Juneteenth Cultural Celebration will extend and create a Juneteenth weekend, and the theme of the celebration will be “Four Days of Juneteenth.”

Organizers stated in the official souvenir booklet created for the event, “Our celebration is a cultural celebration built around pride, respect, history, tradition, reflection, entertainment, education, most of all, enjoyment, and fun for the whole family. The event is always free to the public, celebrating our historic location.”

THURSDAY, JUNE 19

Amun Ra’s event begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, with a wreath-laying ceremony and red toast at a slave cemetery monument located next to the Bon Secours – Southampton Medical Center.

McLemore noted that the wreath-laying is an opportunity to acknowledge and say a prayer for unknown enslaved ancestors who are buried in the vicinity of the monument.

“All ministers are invited to just say a prayer to our slave ancestors,” he said.

He noted that the red toast is a tradition started in 1865, and the booklet noted that it remembers the blood shed by deceased enslaved ancestors.

Pulling from information provided by Amun Ra, McLemore stated, “Red foods are a staple of Juneteenth celebrations due to their symbolic significance, particularly representing resilience and the bloodshed of enslaved people.”

He noted that the tradition is rooted in western African culture and that red also symbolizes strength, spirituality and life.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20

Amun Ra’s event moves to Barrett’s Landing on Friday, June 20, where a tent will be set up highlighting Nat Turner, with tours offered emphasizing his perspective on life while also providing visits to area locations personally significant to him. 

There will also be a tent highlighting the Black Panthers.

In addition to vendors, there will be live music, including a Michael Jackson impersonator at 7:30 p.m. and then Retro Groove, The O’Jays tribute band, performing from 8-11 p.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 21

At the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center on Saturday, June 21, there will be a Juneteenth Awards Ceremony and a Community Leadership Forum at 3 and 4 p.m.

McLemore noted that the awards ceremony will honor six accomplished people from the Franklin-Southampton County area across the categories of military, law, sports and entrepreneurship.

Those invited to participate in the leadership forum include City Council members, Franklin and Southampton school administrators and board members, and ministers.

“We will be discussing issues that affect the nation and the African American community,” McLemore said.

At Barrett’s Landing on Saturday, June 21, there will be kids events from 2-5 p.m., music from DJ Tim Lemon, out of Norfolk, from 5-8 p.m., and the Moore Love Band from 8-10 p.m.

McLemore noted that kids events will include a bounce house, a waterslide, cornhole, horseshoes and face painting.

SUNDAY, JUNE 22

All the events on Sunday, June 22, will take place at College Drive Park.

The events will include a Gospel Explosion, which McLemore noted will feature a Gospel rap DJ, and local Gospel musicians and choirs are invited to perform.

“It’s almost like an open mic for Gospel,” he said.

The day will also feature a community cookout, basketball activities, remote control car demonstrations, cornhole and a bounce house.

For more information on Juneteenth and the third annual Spectacular Juneteenth Cultural Celebration, visit amunra.org.