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Mayor Johnson to Lead Commemorative Juneteenth Walk to the River

Juneteenth commemorative community walk.

Mayor Johnson to Lead Commemorative “Juneteenth Walk to the River”

Event Celebrates Juneteenth National Independence Day

(Savannah, GA)– Mayor Van R. Johnson, II extends an open invitation to the community of Savannah to join him for the commemorative “Juneteenth Walk to the River” on Wednesday, June 19, in honor of Juneteenth National Independence Day.

Details of the Event

The freedom celebratory walk is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. at Wells Park. The route will proceed north down Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and conclude at the Savannah River in front of Plant Riverside. This event is an acknowledgment of the Juneteenth asserted origin as a celebration involving the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

The History Behind Juneteenth

Juneteenth, held every year on June 19, marks the day in 1865 when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the enslaved people that they were free. It must be noted that this was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had officially outlawed slavery.

“Juneteenth is not just African-American history, it is American history,” Mayor Johnson said. “As such, I am honored to lead our entire community of various races, faiths, ages, and walks of life in this commemorative and annual walk to the Savannah River.”

In 2020, Mayor Johnson signed a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth Day in Savannah. 2021 saw the event magnified on a national level when President Joe Biden officially recognized June 19 as the federal holiday Juneteenth, the first new addition since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

“On Juneteenth, we commemorate that day and honor the tireless work of abolitionists who made it their mission to deliver the promise of America for all Americans,”President Biden said in a 2023 public brief. “We honor the generations of activists who have advanced the need for our Nation to recognize Juneteenth as a way to reconcile our past as we build a new American future together.”