Florence Juneteenth celebration connects community to history and culture

Florence and the Black community are intertwined through a history rooted in the establishment of early freedmen's communities following the emancipation of slavery.

The city is home to the First Baptist African American Church, founded in 1870 by the Trustees of the Colored Baptist Association. The church had an active congregation for more than 100 years, serving both formerly enslaved people and freedmen in the area. The church, located on Center Street, still stands today.

Florence naturally became the host of one of Northern Kentucky's longest-running Juneteenth celebrations.

Juneteenth was officially established as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery, when Union Army General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the Civil War in 1865.

The fourth iteration of Florence's Juneteenth celebration was held at the city's Nature Park Event Center and was presented by For Family By Family in partnership with the City of Florence. For Family By Family is a Northern Kentucky-based organization that provides cultural programming, education, outreach and collaborative partnerships to local communities. 

While Juneteenth is its signature event, the organization is also raising funds to build a community center in Florence that will offer youth programs, workforce development and mentorship opportunities, among other services.

“The thing I really love about the Juneteenth holiday is teaching everyone that culture is not kept, culture is to be shared,†For Family By Family co-founder and CEO Dashai Thompson told LINK nky. “When we were doing the Juneteenth celebration, it's a celebration for everyone to learn more about the history and the culture, and that hopefully, moving forward in the future, other people have an understanding of it, and then we can all continue to celebrate this together.â€

The Juneteenth celebration, which lasted from noon to 5 p.m., featured music, educational presentations and booths on Black history, and several tents set up by local businesses and community organizations. In addition, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also delivered a video message, which was played during the event.

Some of the organizations represented at the event included St. Elizabeth Healthcare, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the Florence Police Department and the Florence Fire Department, among others.

One of the event's featured speakers was Hillary Delaney, the lead researcher for African-American history initiatives at the Boone County Public Library. Delaney shared that through her department's collaborative research, they identified an African-American Revolutionary War veteran who called Boone County home.

“We just discovered through some collaborative research with someone in Madison, Indiana, that there was a man here in the early, early days in Boone County, named George Burke, who is now identified as our second African American Revolutionary War soldier that lived here in Boone County,†Delaney said.

For Family By Family co-founder Sienna Thompson, the holiday is personally significant to her because it provides an opportunity for education and the celebration of culture and history.

“It means a lot to us,†she said. “You know, you want everybody from any background, any culture, to learn about how Juneteenth is celebrated, what the meaning is, and it's just so significant now.â€

Related