LAKELAND, Fla. — To Marchina Smith, it’s a sign of progress.
Next week, for the first time, the City Of Lakeland will recognize Juneteenth as an official city holiday.
“It shows you that things can be done in numbers,” said Smith, the Vice President of the Juneteenth Freedom Festival. “Not a lot of people take the time to realize what that moment means to have it as a paid holiday.”
Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the U.S., is already recognized by cities like Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater. But Lakeland was a holdout until recently.
Back in February, community members showed up to a city commission meeting and asked city leaders to make it a holiday.
“Juneteenth is our Fourth of July. And that’s when we begin as Americans. That’s when we share this wonderful country,” Virginia Robinson said during that meeting.
Some commissioners, however, were hesitant and wanted to study the idea more before making a decision.
Then, on April 1, commissioners revisited the issue and made their decision. They voted unanimously to make Juneteenth an official city holiday, starting this year on Wednesday, June 19th.
City offices will be closed, city workers will have the day off, and if they’re required to work, they’ll get holiday pay.
A few months later, with Juneteenth now here, Lakeland Branch NAACP President Terry Coney is still celebrating the city’s decision.
“For the city, it was like kind of wrapping its arms around a segment of the city that felt like it had been ignored,” Coney said.
However, he and Smith hope those who now get the day off will use it for more than relaxing. They hope they’ll use it for learning and reflecting too.
“I hope that they reflect on not just having the day off to go and grill, but reflect on the purpose and the meaning behind Juneteenth,” Smith said.
There are a couple Juneteenth community events coming up in Lakeland to help the community mark the occasion.
On Saturday, June 15, there will be a celebration at Jackson Park (1130 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Lakeland) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On Saturday, June 29, the Juneteenth Freedom Festival will happen at the Simpson Park Community Center (1725 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Lakeland). The free community event will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
