The city of Gainesville held a Juneteenth Jubilee at Bo Diddley Plaza on Wednesday to cap off its fourth annual Journey to Juneteenth. 

The event drew more than 100 attendees, including adults and children who sang along to music, listened to speeches and took home free T-shirts. 

After Zeriah Folston, director of Gainesville’s Office of Equity & Inclusion, kicked off the celebration, 1000 Voices community choir led the crowd in music. Ra’Chelle Banks led the performance, reminding attendees to be grateful for the lives they lead. 

“You think about the occasion, and you think about celebrating liberty and freedom. I’m grateful for that,” Banks said. “Everybody that’s brown like me ought to be hollering. I’m grateful for that. Everybody with a friend or family member that’s brown like me ought to be praising God. I’m grateful for that. Together like this, look at the liberty and freedom we have.” 

The 1000 Voices choir was followed by historian Dr. Rik Stevenson, who spoke on the history of Juneteenth and the importance of educating young people accurately. 

Stevenson noted that Juneteenth marks Emancipation Day in Texas, where, in 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the men and women still enslaved in Texas had not been told they were free. He said African Americans still cannot trust others to tell their history for them. 

Stevenson called out new K-12 social studies standards on African American history approved by the state board of education last year. The standards have sparked controversy for saying enslaved people could have benefited from skills learned in slavery, and for what critics say is a twisting of Black history. 

“We have to stop relying on the American education system to educate our kids,” Stevenson said. “It’s our responsibility to train our children. It’s our responsibility to buy the books. We’ve got to get our kids off of IG and Facebook and Snapchat, and get them into the libraries, and get them into archives, and teach them how to read on their own.” 

Stevenson was followed by a lively performance by over 50 Akwaaba Freedom School students, dancing and singing about the difference they can make in the world. 

This year’s Juneteenth Jubilee was sponsored by HCA Florida and Duke Energy. 

Mayor Harvey Ward, who spoke briefly at the event, thanked city staff for the work they put in to make it happen. He said it is important for the community to remember and celebrate on Juneteenth. 

“We can all take a moment to enjoy being together, to reflect on history, and to plan for what comes next, but to enjoy the beauty of the moment together in peace and in unity,” Ward said in a speech.