BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County is officially recognizing Juneteenth as commissioners voted unanimously to close county offices on Wednesday, June 19, in recognition of the holiday.
The holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when the Emancipation Proclamation was read in Galveston, Texas, freeing the remaining enslaved people.
Juneteenth has been celebrated since that time but was not recognized as a national holiday until 2021. Some have tried for state recognition in Florida, but others object, insisting Florida’s Emancipation Day is May 20. That is when the proclamation was read in Tallahassee, an event that is reenacted every year.
Locally, the Juneteenth Committee is marking the occasion with its second annual Miss Juneteenth Pageant. It will take place at the Florida National Guard Armory, 720 Edwards Road in Starke, on Saturday, June 29. Advertised as more than event — a celebration of Black girlhood — you can follow them on Facebook for more information.
Last year’s Dreamers and Doers-themed pageant was sponsored by the Shirley Ann Brown Livingstone Scholarship Foundation. The reception and program featured storytelling, poetry and drumming, awards and recognitions for young ladies and the crowning of Miss Juneteenth.
County commissioners also closed county offices on Friday, July 5, the day after the Independence Day holiday.
