Do you know the history? Juneteenth in South Georgia and beyond

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Nearly three years after Juneteenth became a federal holiday, people all over the country are still learning the history behind June 19, 1865.

When slaves in the South learned of their newfound freedom, there were no public parades or BBQs. They couldn’t rejoice in public and local historian Michael Harper says that with no Union troops here to protect them, slaves lived in constant fear of the unknown.

“The biggest thing that happened once slavery ended was that a group of people just left. The ones that stayed here were under a system that was just like slavery,” Harper said.

Even after June 19, slavery wasn’t officially abolished until the 13th Amendment was ratified six months later in December 1865. Due to the lack of technology, it took slaves much longer to find out about their new social status.

“You didn’t have T.V. or radio. It had to be word of mouth. I think that celebrating Juneteenth in this area was a pretty recent event, maybe 50 or 60 years,” Harper stated.

To honor June 19 and celebrate it nearly 159 years after its origin, Alysia Cutting, a local dancer, is celebrating the history of the past through dance.

“As a Black American woman, as an American woman, Juneteenth is special because it celebrates a time when legal emancipation happened. Now, we are free to do the things that we love, to live our best lives and celebrate that we can do that,” Cutting said.

To keep the Juneteenth celebration going, Alysia Cutting along with Albany State’s Dance Department, is hosting a free Afro-Fusion Dance workshop Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Albany State University’s West Campus in the physical education building. All ages are invited to attend.

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