Inaugural Juneteenth Walk to the River commemorates national holiday in Savannah

"We're walking a little over two miles to the [Savannah] river, which is symbolic of the over two and a half years that people in this country who were free and did not know they were free," Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said to the crowd of a few hundred attendees ahead of the city's inaugural “Juneteenth Walk to the River” on Wednesday, June 19.

Johnson made remarks at the starting point, Wells Park, 2299 Montgomery St., while donning his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity shirt. The walk marks the city's acknowledgement of the Juneteenth National Independence Day. Johnson had previously signed a proclamation in 2020 recognizing Juneteenth Day in Savannah, which was prior to President Joe Biden signing the holiday into federal law on June 17, 2021.

Johnson also invited Father Guillermo Arboleda, a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and formerly of St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Savannah, to lead a prayer Wednesday morning. "Bless us in this remembrance and help us to always keep in mind that freedom is what we are called to be," Arboleda said.

Johnson ended by saying that "the road of freedom is paved with tears of struggle, so we continue to walk together as a community." He advised those gathered that trolleys were available for those who did not feel up to doing the whole walk and that water stations were placed along the route to help walkers stay hydrated. He the, led them north along Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

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History of the fight for freedom

As the history goes, word of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived with the U.S. Army to enforce what had already been law for more than two years at that point.

Mariah Cade, a junior at Savannah Arts Academy, led the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation before Wednesday morning's walk. Shrila Patel, a sophomore at Savannah Early College High School, picked up the middle section. Chaise Smalls, a senior at Islands High School, then completed the honorary reading of the document.

Georgia State Representative Edna Jackson, who attended the walk with fellow Delta Sigma Theta sorority members, highlighted the involvement of all the sororities and fraternities that showed up in their colors, citing their regular participation in "social action programs." She specifically addressed Delta Sigma Theta's involvement in the Suffrage and Civil Rights movements as the continuing work that builds off of what Juneteenth embodies. "This is so important to the City of Savannah, because we cannot forget," she said.

Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Mayor led walk to honor Juneteenth holiday