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Juneteenth holiday celebrated in many places and in many ways

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Juneteenth holiday celebrated in many places and in many ways


AUGUSTA, Ga. – For more than a century and a half, the Juneteenth holiday has been sacred to many Black communities.

The holiday is Wednesday, but celebrations began over the weekend across the CSRA.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, found out they had been freed — after the end of the Civil War, and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America. Many people get the day off work or school, and there are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events.

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COMING UP:

  • On Wednesday, Augusta is holding its eighth annual Juneteenth Festival. Band of Brothers Augusta is hosting the event from 12:30-9:30 p.m. in the James Brown Arena Seventh Street parking lot.
  • In Aiken County on Wednesday, Umoja Village will celebrate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eudora Farms Wildlife Safari Park in Salley. Activities for the entire family are planned by Umoja Village to also include remarks by Salley Mayor LaDonna Hall, African-style drummers and dancers, educational and history presentations, line dancing and more.

People who never gave the holiday on June 19 more than a passing thought may be asking themselves, is there a “right” way to celebrate Juneteenth?

For beginners and those brushing up history, here are some answers:

Is Juneteenth a solemn day of remembrance or more of a party?

It just depends on what you want. Juneteenth festivities are rooted in cookouts and barbecues. In the beginnings of the holiday celebrated as Black Americans’ true Independence Day, the outdoors allowed for large, reunions among formerly enslaved family, many of whom had been separated. The gatherings were especially revolutionary because they were free of restrictive measures, known as “Black Codes,” enforced in Confederate states, controlling whether liberated slaves could vote, buy property, gather for worship and other aspects of daily life.

Alan Freeman, 60, grew up celebrating Juneteenth every year in Houston, 50 miles north of Galveston. He has vivid memories of smoke permeating his entire neighborhood because so many people were using their barbecue pits for celebratory cookouts. You could go to anyone’s house and be welcomed to join in the feast, which could include grilled chicken and beef and other regional cuisines — jerk meats, fried fish, Jamaican plantains.

“It’s where I began to really see Black unity because I realized that that was the one day that African Americans considered ours,” Freeman said. “The one holiday that was ours. We didn’t have to share with anybody. And it was about freedom because what we understood is that we were emancipated from slavery. But, there was so many beautiful activities.”

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Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off.

The important thing is to make people feel they have options on how to observe the occasion, said Dr. David Anderson, a Black pastor and CEO of Gracism Global, a consulting firm helping leaders navigate conversations bridging divides across race and culture.

“Just like the Martin Luther King holiday, we say it’s a day of service and a lot of people will do things. There are a lot of other people who are just ‘I appreciate Dr. King, I’ll watch what’s on the television, and I’m gonna rest,’” Anderson said. “I don’t want to make people feel guilty about that. What I want to do is give everyday people a choice.”

What if you’ve never celebrated Juneteenth?

Anderson, 57, of Columbia, Maryland, never did anything on Juneteenth in his youth. He didn’t learn about it until his 30s.

“I think many folks haven’t known about it — who are even my color as an African American male. Even if you heard about it and knew about it, you didn’t celebrate it,” Anderson said. “It was like just a part of history. It wasn’t a celebration of history.”

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For many African Americans, the farther away from Texas that they grew up increased the likelihood they didn’t have big Juneteenth celebrations regularly. In the South, the day can vary based on when word of Emancipation reached each state.

Anderson has no special event planned other than giving his employees Friday and Monday off. If anything, Anderson is thinking about the fact it’s Father’s Day this weekend.

“If I can unite Father’s Day and Juneteenth to be with my family and honor them, that would be wonderful,” he said.

What are other names used to refer to Juneteenth?

Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and second Independence Day among others.

“Because 1776, Fourth of July, where we’re celebrating freedom and liberty and all of that, that did not include my descendants,” Brown said. “Black people in America were still enslaved. So that that holiday always comes with a bittersweet tinge to it.”

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Augusta, GA

Winter weather causes crashes across CSRA on slick roads

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Winter weather causes crashes across CSRA on slick roads


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Multiple cars crashed due to winter weather conditions on I-20 in the CSRA early Friday morning, according to authorities.

On I-20 in Augusta, the road conditions at the Washington Road exit were hazardous, according to our reporter on the interstate.

Our reporter saw another wreck on the Bobby Jones overpass from I-520 to I-20 at 10:35 a.m. We’ve reached out to learn more.

Across the river, on I-20 westbound just before mile marker 4, multiple vehicles were pulled over after a car carrier crash around 10 a.m. in Aiken County.

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On I-20 westbound just before mile marker 4, multiple vehicles were pulled over after a car carrier crash around 10 a.m. in Aiken County.

We have reached out to learn more.

Dispatch told us crews were on the scene of a multiple-car crash on I-20 eastbound at the Walton Way extension ramp at 9:25 a.m.

Officials say at least two vehicles were involved, but more were reported, and they are unsure how many exactly.

They did however say more vehicles became involved after sliding on the road from weather conditions.

Dispatch says they are unsure of any injuries or if any lanes were blocked.

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MORE FROM NEWS 12

CSRA winter weather: Full coverage

  1. LIVE: Latest news on winter weather across the CSRA
  2. See the winter weather across the CSRA on our live camera network
  3. How Augusta and state agencies are preparing for icy winter blast
  4. CSRA schools move to virtual learning in preparation for winter storm
  5. List of warming shelters in Augusta to escape the cold
  6. What Red Cross says to do in a winter storm
  7. Electric crews ‘ready to help’ during winter storm
  8. Several local FEMA centers closing due to winter weather
  9. Protecting your pets during extremely cold weather
  10. What can renters do if pipes burst due to winter weather?
  11. Don’t get burned by cold-weather home repair scams
  12. Local fire crews warn of heating hazards in cold weather
  13. How to spot warning signs of frostbite, hypothermia
  14. Protecting your most precious plants from winter’s wrath
  15. Stay inside if you can during cold snap, experts say
  16. Winter weather myths debunked to keep you safe
  17. If your pipes freeze or break, follow this advice from experts
  18. How to get help with your heating bill in the CSRA
  19. What to know if you’ll be driving in subfreezing weather
  20. How to protect your heating system during freezing temperatures
  21. How to stay warm on a budget and beat the cold weather
  22. Trouble from burst pipes can linger well beyond a freeze
  23. Keep your pipes from bursting in freezing weather
  24. How to prepare your home for major freeze

They also told us about another accident in Columbia County in the same area.

We have reached out to learn more.



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Augusta, GA

Wayfair Outlet store opens at the Augusta Exchange

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Wayfair Outlet store opens at the Augusta Exchange


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The new Wayfair outlet is now open at the Augusta Exchange.

You will be able to find furniture and home décor at the location that used to be a Buy Buy Baby store.

It’s the latest store to open in the Augusta area.

One customer we spoke with says he thinks the store will be here for a while as it brings something different to the area.

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“People are here spending money and they are here to make their house look better. I never thought I would be a dude in his 40s in an outlet, me in an outlet. But I did it today and I think it’s good,” said Carlton Ferguson.

It’s welcome news for fans of the Augusta Exchange, which has seen a bevy of closures in the past couple of years, including Subway, Genghis Grill, O’Charley’s, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby and Christmas Tree Shops.



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Augusta, GA

Augusta takes step to hire full time EMA Director

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Augusta takes step to hire full time EMA Director


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – There can be big time disaster emergencies in Augusta, but an emergency management director is not a full-time position for the city.

“I think lessons learned from Hurricane Helene, we desperately need it as we try to recover our city as we try to prepare from the next storm,” said Mayor Garnett Johnson.  

The consolidation bill gives the mayor the authority to name an EMA director.

But for the last 20 years, the mayors have called on the fire chief to pull double duty while getting supplement pay.

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But at the Mayor Johnson’s request, commissioners have approved beginning the process to hire a full time EMA director.

“You want to make sure that when disasters come, we are 100 percent fully prepared,” said Commissioner Stacy Pulliam.

“A city our size deserves someone who is full time committed to that role that helps with our storm preparedness,” said Mayor Johnson.

But when commissioners approved this year’s budget in November, funding for a new EMA director was not a part of it.

“You talking about cutting budgets but yet you’re talking about increasing personnel. It comes with a cost,” said Commissioner Tony Lewis.

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“It will pay for itself as we go through this recovery for Hurricane Helene, as we try to see out grant opportunities and funding opportunities for reimbursement,” said the Mayor.

For sure the city has not seen its last emergency, now the city is seeking a permanent director to manage it.



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