A local celebration of freedom happened right here in the Rocket City!
Juneteenth has come and gone, but so many folks say they will celebrate all month long. Thousands gathered at The Camp in MidCity Saturday for a major celebration!
For the last four years, organizers have packed The Camp with vendors, musicians, and lots of folks ready to celebrate freedom.
Tayla Scaife’s one of several vendors. To her friends and family, she’s known as YaYa. She owns and operates her own jewelry brand called “The Sol of YaYa.”
Scaife’s grateful for events like this that bring everyone together.
“This gives people the opportunity to come out, and engage with each other and connect and build community,” Scaife said.
She puts her heart and soul into each earring she paints, and each bracelet she creates. Scaife calls her creations one of a kind, much like this festival.
“Even though there may have been a struggle, to be able to come together to say, ‘Let’s find some common ground,’ because we all are one at the end of the day,” Scaife explained.
When Juneteenth rolls around, she says she spreads love every day of the month. Organizers like Lloyd Holloway agree.
“You have to understand where you’ve been so you know where you’re going,” Holloway said.
He and Cory Walker started this festival to help folks learn more about American history. They say Juneteenth celebrates the day the last enslaved people in America got word that President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and everyone was set free.
“It’s nice to see that the Rocket City may be leading the way in some of the largest and most joyous celebrations of Juneteenth today,” Walker said.
Both organizers hope everyone who came to the two-day festival, will share what they’ve learned with others.
The Camp at MidCity hosted their 4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration!
