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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The City of Alexandria will commemorate Juneteenth on Friday with a series of free, family-friendly events honoring African American history and culture, capped by an evening festival featuring go-go music, food and performances.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins urged residents to treat the day as more than a day off. "I want to encourage you not just to think of this as another holiday, but really be intentional about joining the city in a day of reflection and rejoicing," she said in a social media message Monday. "This is an opportunity for us to really talk about the resilience, the impact and the ongoing impact of Black people in this country."
Juneteenth, observed each June 19, marks the end of slavery in the United States. On that day in 1865, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that enslaved people there were free — roughly 2 1/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect. It became a federal holiday in 2021 and a permanent Virginia state holiday by legislation passed in 2020.
The city's observance begins at 10 a.m. with a memorial at Douglass Cemetery, 1421 Wilkes St. Dr. Elgin Klugh, a professor and department chairperson at Coppin State University whose research includes heritage and cultural landscapes, will give the keynote address.
At 1 p.m., the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices will perform a free concert at Shiloh Baptist Church, 1401 Jamieson Ave. The afternoon program of traditional African American spirituals, poetry, ring shouts, banjo tunes, stories and audience participation is part of a collaboration between the ensemble and the city's Division of African American History. During the concert, the Revels will highlight the four churches established in Alexandria during the Civil War: Shiloh Baptist, Beulah Baptist, Zion Baptist and Third Baptist.
The day's largest event, the Juneteenth Festival, runs from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St., with food, exhibitors and live music. Gaskins will kick off the outdoor program at 4 p.m. with opening remarks and "Lift Every Voice and Sing," followed by performances including go-go bands EU featuring Sugar Bear and Mature Clientele Band. Activities include the Pioneer Senior Awards, an official proclamation, a health fair hosted by Shiloh Baptist Church, line dancing, tours of the African American Hall of Fame, teen competitions and a listening session held by the Office of the Alexandria Independent Policing Auditor.
Two African American history sites will also open for the holiday. The Freedom House Museum, 1315 Duke St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe St., from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. as part of the city's celebrations.
Alexandria has a long history of emancipation observances dating to 1889, when celebrations drew prominent speakers including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who gave the keynote at the 31st anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1894, and John Mercer Langston, the first African American elected to Congress from Virginia, who spoke in 1895 and 1897. The Alexandria Black History Museum has marked Juneteenth for nearly 30 years.
All city government offices will be closed Friday in observance of the holiday, along with Alexandria City Public Schools, the courts, libraries, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and city health facilities. The Friendship Firehouse Museum also will be closed, but several other Historic Alexandria museums, including Gadsby's Tavern and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Torpedo Factory Art Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
DASH bus service will run on its regular schedule, and the free King Street Trolley will operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Police will suspend enforcement of parking restrictions at metered spaces and residential permit parking districts, though temporary no-parking signs will still be enforced. There will be no delays to residential refuse, recycling, yard waste or curbside food waste collection.
Those attending events are encouraged to use car-free transportation to save time and money. More information is available at alexandriava.gov/Juneteenth.
