CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time, the City of Clarksville will observe Juneteenth as an official City holiday.
This year, since Juneteenth falls on Saturday, June 19, City employees will have a paid holiday and City offices will close on Friday, June 18. City Public Safety departments will be on duty as usual and all essential City services will continue. City offices will resume normal operations on Monday, June 21.
Juneteenth celebrates freedom and the rich history and culture of Black Americans through music, live performances, food, poetry, story telling, art, literature, dance and more.
The Clarksville City Council and the Montgomery County Commission both voted earlier this year to recognize Juneteenth as an official government paid holiday for workers. The first Juneteenth commemoration was celebrated in 1866 after the last enslaved people were freed in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, by Union soldiers a full two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Two Clarksville community groups are planning separate daylong Saturday events to celebrate Juneteenth.
Manifest Magic Black Girl Cooperative will host the Clarksville Juneteenth Festival from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 19 at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center in Liberty Park.
Tiffany Perkins and According to Plan Events are organizing the Clarksville Juneteenth Block Party from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 19 at Downtown Commons.