Free Spirit Freedom [FSF] invites one and all to the 150 year anniversary commemoration of Juneteenth, the day when all the enslaved sons and daughters of Africa realized freedom. The event will take place on Friday, June 19, 2015, from 5 to 7pm, at the Farmer’s Market Pavilion in Hillsborough. A short program will begin at 5:30pm, followed by an outdoor reception.

The program will offer reflections of the occasion of Juneteenth, a brief contextual history of 1865, musical selections, stories from the descendants of Jesse Ruffin—coachman for the Camerons of Hillsborough during the mid-1800’s—and poetry readings, including a new piece by Jaki Shelton Green. Program participants will be James E. Williams, Jr., Brenda McLeod, Doris H. Brunson, James E. Davis, Jr., Wanda Crisp, Rev. Sharon Freeland, Delores Bailey, and Renee Price. Special guests include the descendants of Mr. Ruffin: Maggie “Midge” Bryant, Emma Snelling, and Queen Norwood Thompson.

Read more: http://www.visithillsboroughnc.com/content/free-spirit-freedom-juneteenth-celebration