1st Annual Juneteenth Festival
On Saturday, June 19th, the Bethlehem Center had its first ever Juneteenth Festival. Our event was celebrated by nearly 400 attendees, over 30 Black owned business vendors and food trucks, Mayor Tim Kelly, and Councilwoman Raquetta Dotley. I began planning the festival back in February with little expectations of what it would become. With the help of staff and community partners, the festival was greater than I could have imagined! Emails and phone calls started buzzing in with organizations, churches, and community members who wanted to get involved. The support was so overwhelming that I had to start a vendor waitlist a month before the event!
The moment I knew all of the hard work had paid off, was when I looked at the crowd of faces and saw smiles that belonged to different races and ages. Families danced to the cupid shuffle, laughed and made new friends, and learned a little bit more about the historic importance of Juneteenth.
The official Juneteenth flag, which many had never seen, was displayed high above the trees. Our Executive Director, Reginald Smith II, gave a short speech about the flag and how the first official Juneteenth in 1865 was the day when the last slaves in Texas finally learned that they were free Americans.
It was a great day to see people not only from Chattanooga, but from Atlanta, and Birmingham come together and celebrate freedom while supporting economic growth within the Black community. Finding out that the City of Chattanooga, as well as the entire nation, recognizes Juneteenth as an official holiday has made this historic day even more special! It was an honor to organize this event for the community, and we at the Bethlehem Center look forward to celebrating Juneteenth with our community for years to come.
Written By:
Shari J. Watson
Director of Marketing
