There was a great turnout for Gary Holland and the Planning District 16 (PD16) Committee’s fifth annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday. Approximately 2,000 people gathered over the course of the seven-hour event at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the U.S. National Archives, Juneteenth celebrates the events of June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people were free, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.
Although the proclamation had been made more than two years earlier, enforcement depended on the presence of Union troops — making Texas one of the last places to receive the news.
PD-16 brought together nonprofit organizations, local businesses and a variety of local artists. Musical performances were held throughout the day, featuring Adwela & The Uprising Reggae Band, Shakara Monique, Angelica Baylor, Amir Wright of Teen Enrichment Network, poet Kim B. Miller, and Nia Lewis, who sang the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Fredericksburg Vice Mayor Charlie Frye Jr. (Ward 4) presented Antoine Carey with the Eunice Haigler Community Impact Award, and Charissa McCall received the Forrest Parker Community Advocacy Award. FailSafe-Era, a local non-profit, held a panel discussion on youth violence and shared updates on initiatives underway. Those interested in financial literacy were treated to a financial wellness talk by Erica Willis.
This year’s PD16 Juneteenth event also featured a vendor fair, job fair, Mr. and Miss Juneteenth recognition and scholarship award, a kid zone with moon bounces by Bounce Beyond Inc., door prizes, a Father’s Day photo recognition, and live music by DJ Drew.
For the third year in a row, Holland hosted the community-based event at the stadium, home to the Class A Fredericksburg Nationals. Approximately 120 vendors participated, including Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., the Fredericksburg Democratic Committee, Spotsylvania Democratic Committee, University of Mary Washington (UMW), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Alumnae Chapter, and the NAACP chapters from both Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania.
The event came within five minutes of being canceled due to forecasted rain, Holland revealed, but everything went on as planned without a single sponsor, vendor, or performer pulling out.
“It’s all about community and collaboration. I had roughly 20 sponsors who contributed to this year’s event,” Holland added.
Gary Holland, the host and Emcee of Saturday’s Juneteenth Celebration, addresses the crowd at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. (Photo by Jamar Billingsley)
Local nonprofit Operations Heroes Connect held a boots-on-the-ground fundraiser at 7:30 p.m., featuring line dancing led by Regina Blackmon. All funds raised will go toward sending 100 local kids to summer camp.
“We came together and did this for the community,” Holland said while emceeing the event.
Marion Sanford, Director of the UMW James Farmer Multicultural Center, and Shavonne Shorter, Associate Provost for Community Relations and Compliance, educated attendees about student and public services offered through the university. Sanford has attended every year since the event began, but this was the first year UMW participated as a vendor.
Luminous Body Essentials also made its debut at the event. Founder Tina Pressley, who has been making natural body oils and other products since 2020, signed up the same day another vendor told her about it.
“I sold out of a lot of items today. I even got some custom orders from people I met here,” Pressley said.
Holland has built a strong relationship with the FredNats, working with Director of Special Events Skyla Flock for the third consecutive year to coordinate the annual celebration.
“Today was great,” Flock said. “We were scared of the weather report, but we moved together in good faith. It was a strong community event—everyone looked so happy.
“Gary has been wonderful to work with — he’s a top-tier human being and truly advocates for the community … This partnership has really grown over the years.”
The sounds of Major League Go-Go Band closed out the seven-hour celebration, performing songs from their music catalog. As the crowd danced to the beat, fireworks lit up the night sky over the stadium.
Fredericksburg’s Juneteenth celebrations don’t end there, however.
On June 19, local community activist Eunice Haigler will also host her annual Juneteenth Celebration at Market Square near the Fredericksburg Area Museum from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This marks Haigler’s 11th year organizing the city’s Juneteenth jubilee.
That same night, District 66 Democratic House of Delegates nominee Nicole Cole will host another Juneteenth Celebration with the Pathways to Success Foundation at the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center Museum. The approximately three-hour event will begin at 7 p.m. Proceeds from ticket sales will support public policy student internships through the Pathways to Success Foundation.
