Jackson church hosts annual Juneteenth Celebration

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Society for African-American Cultural Awareness, or SAACA, celebrated Juneteenth Saturday afternoon at Berean Baptist Church.

Juneteenth is the oldest know celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

During Saturday’s ceremony Mayor Jerry Gist honored the descendants of three locals who who petitioned the city of Jackson in court to include African-Americans in local government.

“That’s what we have to change, today in Jackson and all over America,” program chair James Theus said. “We must learn about where we come from we must learn about our ancestors. We must learn about what it is to do in the future especially for our kids.”

After that trial, the city council was created to represent the nine districts across the city.