Bibb County marks Juneteenth with wreath‑laying, proclamation and calls to teach Black history

Shenita Smith, president of Making Black Culture, opened the June 19, 2026 wreath‑laying ceremony in downtown Bibb County and invited the county manager to present a mayoral proclamation declaring the date as a Juneteenth observance day.

"May we not simply commemorate history. May we also recognize that it is our responsibility to continue to carry that history forward with dignity, purpose, and love for one another," Smith said, framing the event as both remembrance and a call to action.

The proclamation, read by county staff on behalf of Mayor Lester M. Miller, recited Juneteenth’s national origins — Union troops under Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger announcing freedom in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 — and noted a related local surrender in April 1865. It formally declared June 19, 2026, as a Juneteenth observance day in the county.

Organizers presented their 2026 junior debutante court and named Lauren Gabrielle Walker as Miss Juneteenth, with Autumn Selby and Marjani Brooks recognized as first and second runners‑up. The debutantes performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" for attendees.

Commissioner Stanley Stewart told the crowd that the Emancipation Proclamation had been read at his church in 1865 and reflected on the bitter history of auctions and slavery in the community while calling for unity. "We stand just feet away from where enslaved people were auctioned off like cattle on Poplar Street," Stewart said, urging residents to build "a more perfect union."

A spoken‑word performance by Vincent Muhammed followed. Muhammed’s piece fused personal and historical reflection on freedom and resilience: "We walking off the plantation. It's a celebration... this is freedom season. Now we feel like Juneteenth." The performance echoed the day’s themes of memory, resilience and cultural continuity.

George Muhammad of the Kowanza Cultural Access Center and Torch Light Academy said President Joe Biden’s recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday has broadened awareness but stressed that local institutions must continue teaching the history. "It is very important and I pray that we will grasp it and carry it with us," Muhammad said, adding that organizers began the Juneteenth Freedom Festival in 1993 to honor local history and educate younger generations.

Muhammad also warned that changes in school curricula have made community teaching more important: "It has become illegal to teach the truth and the history in public schools," he said, urging alternative local education efforts to preserve knowledge of the past.

Organizers thanked partner organizations and county departments — including the Douglas Theater, Central Georgia Coalition of Black Businesses, Middle Georgia Black Pages, the Tubman Museum, the county fire department and sheriff’s office — and encouraged attendance at festival events through the Douglas Theater’s calendar. They announced a Juneteenth parade on June 21 beginning at 4:30 p.m. downtown to conclude the month’s activities.

The ceremony closed with a wreath‑photo opportunity for debutantes, organizers and elected officials.

The event combined ceremonial recognition, youth celebration and repeated appeals from community leaders to make teaching and preserving Black history an ongoing local priority.