Looking for Juneteenth celebrations in the Triangle? Here are some places to go.
In June 1865, the South was still reeling from a bloody civil war, and many formerly enslaved Black people remained with their white owners, afraid to leave or unsure where they might go.
Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived with about 2,000 Union troops in Galveston, Texas, to deliver Order No. 3, freeing 250,000 enslaved Black people on June 19. It was one of the last groups of enslaved people to be emancipated in the United States.
The first Juneteenth holiday marking a year of freedom was celebrated the next year in Houston and Galveston. That same year, Congress created six all-Black Army units — better known as the “Buffalo Soldiers” — to help rebuild the nation and fight American Indians in the Plains Wars.
In 2021, President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Re-enactors representing the Buffalo Soldiers joined Durham County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guards June 5 to raise the Juneteenth flag at the Durham County Courthouse on South Dillard Street in downtown Durham.
The Juneteenth Flag — a white, bursting star symbolizing Texas and Juneteenth’s new beginning for Black people nationwide on a red and blue arc representing a new horizon of opportunity — will fly in downtown Durham through June 19.
Events will be held across the state this month to celebrate the liberation of Black Americans.
Raleigh
▪ Capital City Juneteenth Celebration: The 2024 celebration will be from noon-6 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Harvey Hill at Dix Park, 693 Palmer Drive, Raleigh. Festival-goers can bring lawn chairs and blankets. Includes music, spoken word and speakers, activities for families and children, vendors and food. Registration is recommended. To register or get more information, go to tinyurl.com/djjrdnkw.
▪ Film screening: Emmy Award-nominated film, “George H. White: Searching for Freedom,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at the N.C. Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St. Author and motivational speaker Stedman Graham will speak about the legacy of his ancestor, who was the last African-American to serve in Congress during the Reconstruction era.
The free event includes a Q&A with Graham, historian Earl Ijames, and film producer Mike O’Connell. Register and get more info at tinyurl.com/mvea9kdk.
▪ Art and history: Join “Hands-on History: Weave a Bookmark” from noon-3 p.m., Saturday, June 15, at the N.C. Museum of History. Find cloth clues throughout the museum and start a mini-weaving project.
▪ Music and poetry: An evening of “Juneteenth: In Song and Word” at 6:30 p.m., Friday, June 21, at the N.C. Museum of History. Featuring music from Nnenna and Pierce Freelon, Shana Tucker, Freddy Greene and the Martin Luther King Jr. All Children’s Choir, and poetry from Destiny Hemphill and Fred L. Joiner.
▪ Historic legacy: Virtual and in-person event honoring “Peter Oliver: Freedman and Family, a Journey of His Enslavement and Persistence.” Noon-1:30 p.m., Thursday, June 13, at the NC. Division of Archives and Records, 109 E. Jones St. Oliver’s eighth-generation descendant George Jones Jr. and other speakers will discuss Oliver, a formerly enslaved man, and his negotiation to gain freedom and build a life as a Moravian and potter in the Salem area. Register and get more information at tinyurl.com/5a8kzca2
▪ Concert performance: “Juneteenth Joy: A Celebration of Freedom & Gospel Music” with Grammy-winning performer Kirk Franklin and special guest Maurette Brown Clark at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 14, at the N.C. Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. Tickets start at $54. More information: tinyurl.com/bdjxwzya.
▪ Music and film screening: 5-11 p.m., Saturday, June 15, at the N.C. Museum of Art. “Juneteenth Joy: A Celebration of Black Women, Resilience and Sisterhood,” with The Joy of House Music and a screening of “The Color Purple.” Tickets: $7.50 for members; $15, plus taxes and fees, for nonmembers; free for children 6 and under. More information: tinyurl.com/yc3n344v
Cary
Juneteenth Celebration from 1-7 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at the Downtown Cary Park, 327 S. Academy St. Historian Darrell Stover has curated a day of cultural events, including a Chinfloo Cultural Heritage Procession and Dance Performance, a libation and proclamation ceremony featuring vocalist Mary D. Williams and historian Dr. Freddie Parker, performances, bands, food trucks, and black artisans. More information: tinyurl.com/2s3pnhrt
Durham County
▪ June 15: Bragtown and Merrick Moore Celebration from 2-8 p.m. at 3500 Dearborn Drive
▪ June 19: West End and Lyon Park Celebration from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at 815 Carroll St.
▪ June 20: Juneteenth at the Nasher Museum from 6-8 p.m. at 2001 Campus Drive. More information: tinyurl.com/3ve2s4d7
▪ June 21: Artist Business Expo and Shambo Medina’s Black Talk Radio from 3-9 p.m. at the Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville St. More information about this free event: tinyurl.com/2ycxe5ve
▪ June 22: Historic Stagville State Historic Site event from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 5828 Old Oxford Road. Learn about slavery and freedom at one of the state’s largest former plantations, where a thousand people were emancipated after the Civil War. More information: tinyurl.com/7sympzs5
▪ June 22: Juneteenth Celebration at the North Durham Farmers’ Market, from noon-4 p.m. at the Soul Sanctuary, 1016 Old Oxford Road.
Research Triangle Park
Party in the Park from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at the Hub RTP Experience Center, 300 Park Offices Drive in Morrisville. The picnic-style, family gathering offers food trucks, lemonade, lawn games and music from DJ Damu. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic blankets. The first 150 people will get a free RTP picnic blanket, and the first 50 guests will get a free frozen drink. More information: tinyurl.com/ym3x4mpr.
Orange County
Three events in Hillsborough on Friday, June 14, will kick off the county’s Juneteenth celebration:
▪ Opening Ceremony: 10-11 a.m. at the David Price Farmers Pavilion, 140 E. Margaret Lane
▪ Community Workshops and Conversation: 1-4 p.m. at the Orange County Public Library, 137 W. Margaret Lane
▪ Closing Celebration: 6-9 p.m. at Eno Arts Mill, 437 Dimmocks Mill Road
Find more information at orangecountync.gov/Juneteenth.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro
The fourth annual Juneteenth Celebration will be held from 2-6 p.m. Sunday, June 16, at the Hargraves Community Center, 216 N. Roberson St. in Chapel Hill with food trucks, facepainting, a chalk mural, books about Black freedom and culture, and other activities:
▪ Market and expo featuring Black arts vendors, businesses and nonprofit groups
▪ Local speakers, including Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee and the James Cates Scholars
▪ Jump-rope and music performances, including steel drummer Mickey Mills, soul and hip-hop from Social Construkt, singer Rayah, DJ Twitty, and the Bouncing Bulldogs.
▪ A Transcribe-A-Thon to get oral histories with Chapel Hill and Carrboro’s Black residents into the written record. Hosted by the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History. Transcriptions and audio files will be posted on the center’s website.
Park at Northside Elementary School or in public lots (free on Sundays). More information: chapelhillcarrborojuneteenth.org.
Apex
Juneteenth in the Peak, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, June 15, in downtown Apex, features live performances and entertainment, food trucks, history exhibits, local vendors and more.
Salem Street will close from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. from Saunders Street to Center Street. The Depot parking lot at 220 N. Salem St. will be closed Saturday. Take a GoApex bus or find parking at apexnc.org/downtownparking. More festival details: apexnc.org/juneteenth.
Garner
Juneteenth Celebration at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 15, at the Garner Performing Arts Center, 742 W. Garner Road. Features choirs, dance, song, special dignitaries, and historical perspectives from Professor Mary D. Williams. Free. More details: GarnerJuneteenth.com.
Morrisville
Juneteenth 2024 celebration from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at Shiloh Park, 922 Church St. in Morrisville. Featuring music, historical presentations, entertainment, food trucks, games, a new mural at Shiloh Park, and a fish fry by Morrisville Education & Community Services Enterprise.
Parking and shuttles available at Church Street Park, 5817 Cricket Pitch Way, and Iron Mountain, 826 Church St. More information at morrisvillenc.gov/juneteenth.
Wake Forest
The Northeast Community Coalition is partnering with the Town of Wake Forest to host Wake Forest’s 2024 Juneteenth Celebration on Friday and Saturday, June 14-15.
Free and open to the public, the two-day event will officially get underway with a “Community Gathering” Friday, June 14, from 4-6:30 p.m. at Taylor Street Park, 416 N. Taylor St. Offering food, fun, and fellowship, the occasion will include arts and crafts and other activities for all ages. Jay’s Italian Ice will also be onsite.
The Juneteenth festivities will resume Saturday, June 15, at 10 a.m. with a walking parade from Hope House, 334 N. Allen Road, to the Dubois Center, 518 N. Franklin St. The parade lineup begins at 9 a.m. at the corner of East Pine Avenue and North Allen Road.
Zebulon
Zebulon Juneteenth Celebration from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 14, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Zebulon Town Hall, 1003 N. Arendell Ave. The Tams will headline Friday’s event, followed on Saturday with a keynote address from District Court Judge David Baker, The Project 919 Band, Hillside High Drama Team, vocalist Brandon Lee, and a Changin Lanez RDU car and bike show. Both days feature live music, speeches, food trucks, and craft vendors.
Chatham County
Black Arts Festival: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at the Chatham County Fairgrounds, 191 Fairgrounds Road in Pittsboro. The seventh annual Juneteenth Black Arts Festival features arts, music and history, including American Idol contestant Elijah McCormick, Cecile Jordan and Band, local talent competition winners, and others. Proceeds will support CORE (Community Organizing for Racial Equity).
More information: www.corenc.org/juneteenth
Johnston County
▪ Dramatic performance: 3 p.m., June 15, at The Clayton Center, 111 E. Second St. “Soul of Langston,” a one-man drama starring Daron P. Stewart with the poetry of Black American Langston Hughes. Free performance includes local gospel choirs and a reception.
▪ Back-to-back Festivals: Smithfield will hold its Juneteenth Celebration, noon-6 p.m., June 15, at the Neuse River Amphitheater, 150 S. Front St., with live music and food. A second Juneteenth Celebration will start at 10:30 a.m. June 22 with a parade from the Alumni Center to Smith Collins Park, 909 E. Lee St. A free cookout will follow with music from DJ Sham Rock and DJ Ricky C.
▪ Juneteenth Jam: 6-10:30 p.m., Thursday, June 20, at Johnston Community College, 245 College Road, Smithfield. Free family event with food trucks, inflatables and live entertainment from Niito Band, The Project 919 Band and DJ JusRight. Register to qualify for a giveaway at tinyurl.com/mpwyyffn.
▪ Pioneers in the Park: Catch a baseball game and honor veteran baseball and women’s softball players at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 23, in Smith Collins Park, 909 E. Lee St., Smithfield. Enjoy free food while the Tarheel Kings play the Wilson Bruins.
NC Juneteenth Events
▪ Juneteenth Jubilee: Downtown Fayetteville, Cool Spring Downtown District and the city will host the 2024 festival from 1-9 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Festival Park, Ray Avenue in Fayetteville. This year’s festival theme is Their Wildest Dreams, honoring unity, progress, and the achievements of Black ancestors. Event features Pierce Freelon and Skip Marley. A Black Art Crawl, hosted by Black Artist Forward, will happen around downtown during the festival.
▪ Juneteenth 2024: History and genealogical presentations from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 19, at The International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro will feature four experts from local chapters of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. Located at 134 S. Elm St. Register and get more information: sitinmovement.org/events.
▪ Activities to go: Take It, Make It packets will be available from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at the Museum of the Albemarle, located at 501 S. Water St. in Elizabeth City. Free Juneteenth packets include activities to do at home, learning resources and information about places across the state where families can explore the history of slavery and emancipation.
▪ Historical drama: “Leah & the Rabbit: A Juneteenth Play.” 11 a.m. Saturday, June 15, at Vance Birthplace State Historic Site at 911 Reems Creek Road in Weaverville. Free event includes a discussion about reclaiming African-American stories, resiliency among enslaved people, and the romanticized view of plantation life. More information: tinyurl.com/4vh67j7s
▪ Storywalk: Juneteenth Storywalk and Make Your Own Flag event from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at Lake Norman State Park, located at 759 State Park Road in Troutman. Featuring crafts and a display of Floyd Cooper’s novel, “Juneteenth for Mazie,” and other Juneteenth-themed books.
▪ History of Juneteenth: 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22, talk at the President James K. Polk State Historic Site, located at 12031 Lancaster Highway in Pineville. Featuring Adrienne Nirdé, director of the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, who will talk about the history of Juneteenth in North Carolina and the latest news from the commission.
Don’t see your event? Send the details to Tammy Grubb at tgrubb@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published June 5, 2024 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Looking for Juneteenth celebrations in the Triangle? Here are some places to go.."
