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  • Jackson, Mississippi is hosting multiple Juneteenth celebrations, despite not recognizing it as a state holiday.
  • Events include a fireworks extravaganza, celebrations at the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home, and a jubilee at the Two Mississippi Museums.
  • Additional events include Juneteenth on Farish Street and a screening of the documentary “Farming Freedom.”
  • Most events are free and open to the public.

Juneteenth is an annual cultural celebration honoring June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were freed. The historic day came two years-and-a-half years after the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Today, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery, and in 2021, the day officially became a federal holiday. Annual celebrations of Juneteenth have taken place long before the federal recognition.

Mississippi does not honor Juneteenth as a state holiday, but many celebrations still take place and some get the day off work.

Below are some Juneteenth celebrations happening in Jackson this year.

Juneteenth Fireworks Extravaganza

  • When: 7 p.m., Wednesday, June 18
  • Where: Jackson Convention Complex, 105 East Pascagoula St., Jackson

The City of Jackson is hosting a Juneteenth Fireworks Extravaganza starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18, at the Jackson Convention Complex.

This family-friendly event is free, and guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to watch the fireworks from the back parking lot of the convention center. The event will also include local food vendors.

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Juneteenth at the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument

  • When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, June 19
  • Where: Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive, Jackson

The free event takes place at the home of Medgar and Myrlie Evers, two of the most influential activists of the Civil Rights Movement.

Medgar’s assassination in the carport of their Jackson home, now a national monument, in 1963 is considered the first murder of a major civil rights activist and a catalyst for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Guests can take part in special tours and activities and listen to staff talks throughout the day. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, with staff talks taking place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Juneteenth Jubilee

  • When: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, June 19
  • Where: Two Mississippi Museums, 222 North St., Jackson

The family-friendly event at the Two Mississippi Museums will include live performances, yard games, a line dancing workshop, local food trucks, a kid’s zone and more.

Guests can also take Juneteenth-themed tours through the Two Mississippi Museums, which includes the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History.

Volunteer Mississippi will be on site to educate visitors on local volunteer opportunities.

Juneteenth Jubilee will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, and admission is free.

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Juneteenth on Farish

  • When: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, June 21
  • Where: North Farish St., Jackson

The annual Juneteenth on Farish celebrates and honors cultural history in the Farish Street Historic District.

This year’s celebration, the Ninth annual Juneteenth on Farish, is hosted by Jackson’s Brad “Kamikaze” Franklin and Funmi “Queen” Franklin and will include live music, local food vendors, drinks, arts and crafts and games.

Juneteenth on Farish will take place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and admission is free.

Screening of ‘Farming Freedom’

  • When: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 22
  • Where: the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium in the Two Mississippi Museums, 222 North St., Jackson

The Two Mississippi Museums will round out its Juneteenth celebration with a free screening of “Farming Freedom: The Inspiring Story of Black Land Ownership in Mississippi” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium.

“Farming Freedom,” which premiered last month on WLBT, tells the story of a farming family in Bolivar County while exploring the challenges faced by formerly enslaved land owners post-Civil War. These challenges persisted for the following century and resulted in more than 90% of Black land lost or dispossessed.

After the screening, journalist Howard Ballou will moderate a panel discussion with the film’s director Kayla Thomas, filmmaker Henry Harris and Tamu Green of SR1 Agriculture and Food Science Department.

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com