Join Oakland Cemetery on June 14th for our FREE annual Juneteenth Family Festival to honor Atlanta's African American pioneers and celebrate those still shaping the city today.
We will kick things off with the family programming portion of the festival from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, featuring educational activities to explore African American history at Oakland, programming from Oakland’s Education team, and Kuumba Storytellers.
At 5:00 PM, we will host author, historian, and preservationist Dr. D L Henderson in the Overlook space in Oakland’s Visitor Center for an insightful conversation on her newest book, Perpetual Segregation: Chronicling the Black Side of Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.
Following Dr. Henderson’s talk, we will gather in the Visitor’s Center Plaza for some traditional African music and storytelling, before guests are led on a customized tour of Oakland’s African American Burial Grounds.
This event will feature:
Arts & Culture Activities for Kids
Storytelling Performance & Workshop
Food Vendors
Author Talk & Book Signing
Live Music
Curated Tours of Oakland’s African American Burial Grounds & More!
Photos from previous Juneteenth celebrations at Oakland
Family Programming Schedule
Hourly Programs
10:00 AM - Juneteenth Story Time
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth
11:00 AM - Storytelling Performance & Workshop with Kuumba
12:00 PM – Preserving African American History at Oakland
1:00 PM - Juneteenth Flag: Symbols of Strength & Resilience
Ongoing Programs (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
African American Burial Ground – History Hunt
Profiles in Courage: African American leaders in Reconstruction
Found Poem: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Adult Programming Schedule
5:00 PM - Author Talk & Book Signing with Dr. DL Henderson (Perpetual Segregation: Chronicling the Black Side of Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery) at Oakland Overlook
6:00 PM – Traditional African Rhythms with Nehki Stover at Visitor Center Plaza
6:30 PM – Kuumba Storytellers at Visitor Center Plaza
7:00 PM – Perpetual Segregation Tour
Join our Dr. Henderson and Oakland tour guides for a curated tour of Oakland’s African American Burial Grounds highlighting many of the individuals and stories from Perpetual Segregation.
