About
Juneteenth615 is Nashville’s celebration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth615 is the official historical Juneteenth celebration for the city of Nashville. The celebration is powered by FELLAVISION + AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL ALLIANCE (AACA) in collaboration with and various other community partners. This event is held annually on June 19th at Fort Negley Park in Nashville, TN and is open to the community at large and families are encouraged to attend. There will be live entertainment, food trucks, vendors, an official proclamation ceremony, and a FIREWORKS presentation to close the night!
“Slaves endured a system of captivity for twelve generations. We embark to celebrate the ending of this cruel crucible of tyranny and give thanks to our ancestors for their endurance.”
- W. H. Siwel IV
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
Our Mission is three-fold.
Our mission is to (1.) commemorate our history and spread the historical awareness of JUNETEENTH and the emancipation of slaves, (2.) to create a space for celebration and fellowship amidst food, libations, music, and dance, reimagining freedom and (3.) to activate community through an intentional effort of diversity, equity, and inclusion, releasing any unforgiveness.
The Significance of Fort Negley Park
The Union army commissioned Nashville's Fort Negley in 1862. It took roughly three thousand endured strenuous black laborers, both free and enslaved, to erect the Fort and even fought the Confederate army as needed.
Labeled as 'contraband' by the Union Army, the free slaves eventually created thriving neighborhoods like Edgehill, Edgefield, and Jefferson Street.
Presently, Fort Negley Park is a place where people and history come together to learn that we are a part of history and not apart from it, and so we remember the site to honor the history of those who died building the Fort.
Fort Negley is listed as a Site of Memory in the Slave Route Project of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
