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Juneteenth will be celebrated in Daytona Beach with a community festival and banquet
DAYTONA BEACH — The festivities are about to begin to celebrate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 that about 250,000 enslaved Black Americans in Texas were told for the first time in their lives that they were free.
Juneteenth — also known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day or Freedom Day — is officially observed on June 19. But Daytona Beach is going to get things started a little early this year, and will hold a community festival Saturday June 14.
That will be followed up with an awards banquet June 19, followed by another Daytona celebration June 22.
The annual Daytona Beach Juneteenth Family Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 14 at Cypress Park, located at 981 W. George Engram Blvd. in Daytona Beach.
The festival will offer a mix of live music, local vendors, food, art and educational activities.
The free, all-day event will feature traditional African dance performances, food trucks, a variety of vendors, activities for children, the Sankofa African Traveling Museum, a pound cake competition and more.
The theme for this year's Daytona Beach Juneteenth Family Festival, which celebrates the rich heritage and resilience of African Americans, is "Juneteenth: United As One Community."
The Daytona festival is Florida's longest running commemoration of the national holiday. The Juneteenth Festival Group, Inc., is coordinating the event.
For more details on the Daytona Beach Juneteenth festival, visit
The annual Hometown Heroes Awards Banquet is next on the lineup of Daytona Beach's Juneteenth celebrations.
Slated to take place June 19 at the Mori Hosseini Student Center on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the banquet recognizes Daytona Beach-area residents who strive to make a difference in the community.
This year's banquet begins at 7 p.m., and will feature Junkanoo performers and stilt walkers from Africa.
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The third Daytona Beach Juneteenth event will be held on June 22 at Master's Domain Church of God in Christ, located at 511 Fremont Ave. in Daytona Beach.
The event is being billed as a citywide celebration, and begins at 4 p.m. Several local churches, organizations, youth groups and community leaders will be included in the event.
"There will be several senior pastors from area churches that will highlight the importance of the church and social justice," said Derrick Harris, senior pastor of Master's Domain Church.
There will be free food, vendors and special performances from area groups. The event will also honor several people who have dedicated their lives to community service.
Juneteenth marks a pivotal moment in American history. While the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 granted freedom to enslaved people, it wasn't until June 19, 1865, that liberation was enforced in Texas, making freedom a reality for many who had remained enslaved.
Since 2021, Juneteenth has been a federally recognized holiday in the United States. Many other countries around the world also celebrate Juneteenth.
The holiday provides an opportunity to discuss freedom and ongoing challenges with voter access, healthcare gaps, social injustices, economic disparities, and more.
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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Juneteenth events in Daytona Beach about to begin
