Juneteenth Celebrated At Sarasota, Bradenton Events

SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — Juneteenth observances take place across the Sarasota and Bradenton areas this week.

The Wednesday, June 19, federal holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

• Related: When Is Juneteenth? What To Know About Holiday Marking Slavery’s End

Upcoming Juneteenth events in the Sarasota and Manatee counties include:

• Juneteenth Conversation with Jevon Brown: Eleanor Merritt Fellow, Wednesday, 6 to 8 p.m., at The Ringling. This conversation focuses on the prominence of African American artists and their contributions to the Sarasota art community with a focus on the works of Eleanor Merritt and John Sims.
• Juneteenth Celebrate Freedom Community Festival, Saturday, 2 to 7 p.m., at the 13th Avenue Dream Center in Bradenton. This reading conference features local authors, high school students producing podcasts and “Hip Hop Rhythmic Reading.”
• Newtown Junteteenth 2024, Saturday, 3 p.m., in Sarasota’s Newtown neighborhood.
• Juneteenth Jubilee Jam, Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition. This event includes various performances and a voter registration drive.
• Art Dining Live: Celebrating Juneteenth, Sunday, 4 to 6 p.m., at Chaz 51 Steakhouse in Venice. There will be food and live music and art at this fundraiser for Manasota ASALH Freedom School.

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in the Tampa Bay area will be closed Wednesday. Many state, county and local government offices will be closed as well.

Have an event to add to the list? Email Tiffany.Razzano@gmail.com.