Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration

Juneteenth 2025, A Freedom Celebration will be presented by the Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, on Saturday, June 14,  at the Manchester Dock, 1308 Brander St, 1p – 4:30p, and Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, 4:30p – 8:30p.  It is free to attend.

 

This commemoration opens a time when particularly people of African descent can surround themselves energetically with Ancestral vibration to recognize the foundational presence of African people in Richmond.  Since the 1600s, African people were trafficked to Richmond in the Transatlantic Trade of Enslaved Africans and landed at the Manchester Dock for an entire century.  Then, boat loads of enslaved Africans were exported to the Deep South from Rocketts Landing across the river until 1865.

 

Sited at the Dock, the public is invited to Juneteenth 2025, A Freedom Celebration to ponder, to reflect, to understand, to engage in ritual and to enjoy music, dance, conversation, children’s activities, food, shopping and more.  Attendees are asked to wear white, and they may bring ancestral offerings such as flowers, water, fruit or prayers. Then, A Tribute to the Ancestors, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans immerses attendees in narratives, the historical record and music. It is a sacred, poignant pilgrimage of acknowledgement and recognition.

 

“In celebrating our Ancestors who labored in bondage until the Emancipation Proclamation and those in Texas for whom freedom was delayed, attendees can expect a joyful and thoughtful gathering to be with one another and to say thank you for the strong shoulders upon which we stand,” says Janine Bell, president and artistic director of the Elegba Folklore Society.