Juneteenth

Ahead of Juneteenth, the Lee County Black History Society highlights the legacy of Lee County's first government-funded school for Black students and the lessons it offers today.

Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. The State of Florida actually recognized Juneteenth back in 1991 under Governor Lawton Chiles, and some Florida municipalities focus their historical Emancipation celebrations on May 20 instead, because that’s the date the Emancipation Proclamation was announced in Tallahassee in 1865. This weekend the Lee County Black History Society is leading the celebrations locally, so we talk with three people directly involved to learn more.

The Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts will host an immersive pop-up art experience titled “In Living Color: A Juneteenth Art Experience,” featuring Southwest Florida-based artist Richard Bravo. Ahead of the event on June 19, 2026, at McCollum Hall, we talk with the featured artist and Bridging the Gap founder and Executive Director Sonya McCarter.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Juneteenth Arts Festival is now a two-day event. It opens Friday, June 19 with an exhibition of African face jugs inspired by vessels created by Southern enslaved potters along with African artifacts, followed by a performance of “Words, Beats & Movement” featuring local performers.

A free Juneteenth celebration will be taking place in Naples over the weekend.

Groups come together to celebrate Juneteenth in Fort Myers at the STARS Complex.

It was 160 years ago that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — after Civil War's end and two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, that day in 1865 when a Union officer announced liberation.

The Lee County Black History Society is preparing to celebrate their annual Juneteenth event.

Juneteenth celebration in Fort Myers, honors a historic-based event.

The city of Fort Myers celebrated Juneteenth for the 11th year