On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, freedom was finally announced for the last African Americans still held in slavery in the United States. More than two years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. But that day — delayed, urgent, necessary — freedom finally touched ground.
That moment is known as Juneteenth. It wasn’t the beginning of freedom. It was its late arrival. It wasn’t the end of racism. It was the planting of a new kind of hope.
Today, Juneteenth is much more than a historical date. It’s a pause. A mirror. A celebration and a call. A collective embrace that says: We’re still here, still rising.
Here in Cumberland County, where more than 136,000 residents — 40.2% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — identify as Black or African American, that history isn’t distant.
It’s lived. It’s inherited. It’s sung. It becomes leadership, community and everyday resilience. And Fayetteville honors it with heart.
On Saturday, June 14, Festival Park will host the fifth annual Juneteenth Jubilee, themed “Sovereign.” A word that not only acknowledges the past but uplifts the present, especially the voices and brilliance of women of color, whose stories shape the soul of this city.
Expect music, dance, food, art and above all, presence. Living stories. Unapologetic expression. Truth that doesn’t whisper — it sings.
And that’s not the only Juneteenth celebration in Cumberland County. The Town of Hope Mills is hosting its second annual Juneteenth Liberty & Legacy Celebration on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, at Dirtbag Ales Brewery & Taproom. There will be a fashion show, an art crawl, vendor markets, live music and more.
Freelon performed at the 2024 Juneteenth
Jubilee.
Credit: Tony Wooten / CityView
The Sandhills Family Heritage Association is also hosting a Juneteenth Observance at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Spring Lake Community Library, according to the association’s April newsletter. Its Executive Director, Ammie McRae Jenkins, and other members will be speaking about the “rich history and cultural impact of the rural African American communities of Spring Lake” and Manchester, and beyond.
As members of the Latinx community, we might wonder: How do we show up for a story that isn’t ours, and yet somehow still touches us?
The answer isn’t in perfect words. It’s in presence. In showing up, listening, learning and giving thanks. In recognizing that the freedom of one community is always woven into the dignity of all.
Juneteenth is not just about the past. It’s about what still needs building, not from guilt or fear, but from love, from clarity, from a sincere desire to walk more closely, together.
Let’s celebrate what’s been won. Let’s also hold space for the question: What can I do today to help that freedom bloom even more?
See you in the park, June 14. With gratitude. With flowers in our voices. With the knowledge that we are still writing the most beautiful promise of all, a world where we can all breathe freely.
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Downtown Issue” June 2025 e-edition here.
