Albany, Dougherty County celebrate Juneteenth 2024
By Lucille Lannigan
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ALBANY – Albany and Dougherty county leaders joined community members donned in red, yellow and green Friday for the third annual Juneteenth Community Celebration at the Albany Civic Center.
The celebration spotlighted about 13 community vendors, ranging from small businesses showing off their products to the Dougherty Democratic Party registering attendees to vote. It featured performances from local dance groups and singers, including Rutha Mae Harris and the Freedom Singers, a musical group that originally formed during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
City and County leaders gave individual reflections during a Welcome Ceremony at the beginning of the event.
Juneteenth, which is actually on June 19, is a holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. It was first celebrated in Texas where on June 19, 1865, former slaves were declared free under the Emancipation Proclamation.
Phyllis Banks, the Dougherty County public information officer, said it’s important to celebrate and make Juneteenth a community event in order to bring people together to learn about a deep history that is not only black history, but American history.
“I’m hoping that they (attendees) got a little culture from today,” she said. “I hope that everybody leaves with a part of history and knowing about the history of Juneteenth.”
Tenley Thomas, an Albany resident, attended the celebration as a vendor for his business, Supreme Custom Designs. He designs shirts, cups, vases and an array of other items. This was his first year attending the Juneteenth Community Celebration, and he said it was a blessing.
“I’m a new business owner, and I just wanted to get out and see everybody,” Tenley said.
He said six months ago he never would have envisioned his business being at this point. The Juneteenth celebration gave him and a number of black small business owners a chance to display their product.
“You get to network with other people, and it opens a lot of doors,” Tenley said.
Gail Griffin, president of AKA Sorority Delta Eta Omega, was joined by her sorority sisters to help attendees register to vote. The sorority serves as advocates for social justice for the underserved of Dougherty County. Griffin said it’s a part of the sorority’s platform to mobilize all voters, especially black ones.
“When you look at the history around voting, the tyranny and hardship … it took a lot for African Americans to be recognized as citizens,” she said. “We must continue the investment and sacrifice that was made before us.”
Griffin also said the celebration is a great way for attendees to learn more about their community and the resources available to them.
Banks said the event grows each year, and the biggest goal is for the community to come out and enjoy themselves. Attendees got to enjoy music and food. Face painting, bouncy houses and a mechanical bull were available for children. The crowd filled the Albany Civic Center until 7 p.m.
Dougherty County Commission Chairman Lorenzo Heard said it was a time to pause, remember, reflect and rejoice.
“We cry for those who were brought to America and lost their name and identity,” he said. “We rejoice because we lived through it. We are resilient people. To hear the Freedom Singers and their music … the rhythm and the beats … it reminds me of what may have been heard that day (Juneteenth).”
He said he hopes the celebration continues to create conversations about history and draws more people out each year.
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