The City of Sanford Appearance Commission invites the community to its second annual “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom,” a free evening of performances that celebrate the values of freedom, resilience, and unity.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865 – the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas since 1866 but only became a national holiday in 2021.
“Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom” will be held Thursday, June 19, at W.B. Wicker Elementary School starting at 6 pm. The event will start with a special reading of Sanford’s Juneteenth proclamation by Mayor Rebecca Salmon along with members of Sanford City Council.
The Community Fellowship Choir will open the musical portion of the program with select songs before turning the stage over to the North Carolina Central University Jazz Studies Collective for several jazz standards.
Rod Brower and the Together-N-Unity Choir is returning with Ray Owen for their second Juneteenth in Sanford. “Our performance will offer a message of peace and hope,” says Brower. “These are two things that the world needs right now.”
W.B. Wicker School was built in 1927 by prominent African-American contractor Link Boykin to serve Sanford’s African-American high school students. The W.B. Wicker Alumni Association will offer a curated exhibit of historical photographs and memorabilia from the school’s early days before and during the event.
“W.B. Wicker School stands as a beacon to all things good and favorable; to have attended it is to love it, then and now,” says Margaret Murchison, president of the school’s Alumni Association. “We are proud that the Appearance Commission chooses W.B. Wicker School as the venue for its Juneteenth celebration each year.”
“We are honored to be part of the history of resilience, determination, and achievement that Juneteenth represents,” says Liz Whitmore, historic planner for the City of Sanford and liaison to the Appearance Commission. “Bringing the community together is a small but fitting way to commemorate this culturally and historically significant anniversary.”
A new addition to this year’s event is the participation of local members of historically African-American fraternities and sororities, many of whom have roots at W.B. Wicker School. “As this celebration grows, we want to fill it with the people and organizations that represent the triumphs and resiliency of the African-American community,” says Whitmore.
The Appearance Commission received funding for “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom” from Friends of Sanford, Inc., the Lee County Arts Council, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
For more information, visit our website at www.sanfordnc.net/juneteenth or contact Liz Whitmore at 919-718-4657 x5393 or liz.whitmore@sanfordnc.net. View the Facebook event.