May 16, 2025, at 7:00 p.m
The social justice documentary for May is “Before Juneteenth: Florida’s Emancipations.” The short film tracks the timeline of emancipations and their celebrations in Florida, which range from January 1, 1863, to May 20, 1865.
These holidays have been observed in communities across the state for nearly 160 years. Discussion following the film will be facilitated by Jonnie Mae Perry.
The 20th of May, Florida’s historic emancipation celebration, has been observed in many Florida communities with the majority of the state’s Black population since 1865. In fact, in St. Augustine and Key West, because of the presence of the U.S. Army during the U.S. Civil War, Black people celebrated emancipation as early as 1863.
While the federal recognition of Texas’s Juneteenth holiday is important, it has had the unintended consequence of overshadowing the historic emancipation celebrations in Florida which have been observed in their respective communities since 1865.
Submitted by Nancy Stiefel