Juneteenth will be celebrated with a 4-day series of events, running from Friday, June 16th through Monday, June 19th, 2023.

Schedule of Events:
FRIDAY, JUNE 16th
Family Movie Night, featuring “To Kill a Mockingbird” @ 5:30 pm (Free event, at Fuller-Peery Building at the Tazewell County Fairgrounds)

SATURDAY, JUNE 17th
Juneteenth on Main Street, with Keynote speaker Judge Frederick Adams @ 11 am (Altizer Stage)
Juneteenth Parade @ 1 pm (Main Street to the Little League Fields, shuttles available)
Festival and Celebration, featuring food, exhibits, music, kid’s activities & more @ 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm (Tazewell County Fairgrounds)

SUNDAY, JUNE 18th
Community Worship and Reflection, featuring Rev. Michael Bratton @ 11 am (Nuckolls Hall, Tazewell County Fairgrounds)

MONDAY, JUNE 19th
Unity Prayer & Award Ceremony, with Creative Writing winners announced @ 5 pm (at the “Standing Tall and Proud” mural on Main Street)

Originating 158 years ago in the port city of Galveston, Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of Major General Gordon Granger’s General Order No. 3, which effectively ended slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. Though the Emancipation Proclamation legally ended slavery for many states several years earlier on January 1, 1863, the abhorrent practice had continued in the far reaches of the nation. Upon Granger’s troops arrival, officers were dispatched throughout the state to post and read this declaration of freedom from courthouse steps and public squares. Initially referred to as Emancipation Day, early festivities were limited to safe spaces within African American churches and communities due to fears of retribution, and its observance waxed and waned with the turbulent times. Fortunately, the spirit of the celebration survived and is now acknowledged throughout the nation each June 19th.

At their May 2023 meeting, Town Council adopted a resolution designating the third Saturday in June 2023 as Juneteenth:
WHEREAS, 14 percent of the population in Tazewell County were slaves in 1830; and
WHEREAS, very few slaves were set free by their masters or successfully bought their freedom in Tazewell County; and
WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, did not end slavery in Virginia and only became effective in the Commonwealth with the enactment of Chapter 103 of Title 30 of the Code of Virginia in 1873; and
WHEREAS, news of freedom for enslaved Americans did not reach each state on the same date, and each state has its own account of this important announcement; and
WHEREAS, “Juneteenth,” or June 19, 1865, is recognized as the date on which General Gordon Granger, upon arriving in Galveston, Texas, issued General Order Number Three, notifying the last enslaved Americans of their new legal status; and
WHEREAS, “Juneteenth” is observed by many African Americans and others as a special time of celebration, and they credit the survival of their forebears to faith in God, perseverance, hope, and triumph of the human spirit; and
WHEREAS, all people in the Town of Tazewell, without regard to race, ethnicity, origin, creed, religion, and culture, share a common destiny and a desire for freedom and the determination to preserve our freedoms and extend these benefits to people abroad; and
WHEREAS, the 19th of June is recognized as a federal and state holiday.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR THE TOWN OF TAZEWELL, VIRGINIA:
1. That the date of June 19th will always be recognized as Juneteenth; and that the seventeenth day of June, in 2023, and the third Saturday in June in subsequent years thereafter, be designated and commemorated as “Juneteenth” in the Town of Tazewell; and,
2. That the Council recognize the suffering caused by the enslavement of generations of African Americans, and call for reconciliation among all citizens of the Town; and,
3. That the Mayor call upon the people of the Town to reflect upon the significant roles and many contributions made by African Americans to the Town of Tazewell, to the County and to the Region, throughout history and today, and to celebrate this day with appropriate activities and events that honor this rich legacy; and,
4. That the Council post the designation of this day on the Town’s website