Thousands of residents from around metro Atlanta came to City Springs for the annual Juneteenth celebration hosted by the cities of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody.
The sold-out live production of “From Africa to America” in Byers Theatre featured music, African drums, dance, poetry, and more.
The City Green was filled with tents from organizations, local government representatives, Juneteenth-related activities such as Juneteenth history and flag making, plus a few minority small businesses.
“Juneteenth to me is a celebration of community, bringing people together for cultural diversity, humility, and just celebrating our heritage as African Americans and what it means to be free,” Leadership Perimeter board member Clarissa Sparks said.
She has been active in the community through Leadership and as a member of Mayor Rusty Paul’s Sandy Springs Diversity & Inclusion Task Force.
Lashaylar Carr, mother of Journey Carr, shared what Juneteenth meant to her.
“We didn’t know about the freedom that we had at that time. So I’m just glad that we finally get to acknowledge that time every year,” she said.
Charles Sharper, one of the event organizers, said Juneteenth is very significant to him because of his heritage.
“It’s a time to come together and be able to acknowledge accomplishment being able to proceed as a culture and just come out and celebrate our existence,” he said.
Sharper said it was an honor to have City Springs host the event.
Janon Redmond said Juneteenth means freedom and a collaboration of culture. He said the feeling of energy at City Springs was amazing. “It feels like love,” he said.
Riverwood High School rising senior Cici Williams was in the Byers Theatre lobby with her artwork created for the LIQUID Arts & Productions’ immersive art exhibition and experience created for Juneteenth. The program centered on the creativity of high school students from Sandy Springs and Dunwoody.
Williams said she turned to her family and friends for ideas for the project. Something her mother said stuck with her. Her mom said she felt most free when she wasn’t worrying about responsibilities. Williams realized she felt the same way.
She wanted to incorporate time into her painting, which meant either a watch or clock. The clock gave her freedom to do more, and she started including things she likes to do in her free time. A bike riding scene, another where she’s “just chilling like on my phone,” and painting were quick choices. Summer became a theme because she’s free of responsibilities.
“I think the animation was probably the hardest part for me because I had to learn pretty quickly. It was kind of difficult. But it was a really fun process,” she said.
