Juneteenth

It's been a year since we launched our weekly show. It's comprised of three podcasts: Speaking Of, The Warehouse, and Unbothered.

Host Jazzmin Sutherland sits down with Angela Moss Poole at the Institute for Music Businesses to discuss the rich history of Black music in Tallahassee.

Juneteenth is now a federal and state holiday, although Tallahassee has its own holiday on May 20th to honor the day the Emancipation Proclamation reached the capital city.

A proposal filed Monday by Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Ocoee, aims to make Juneteenth Day a paid holiday for all state government employees.

The U.S. House of Representatives has the chance to send President Joe Biden a bill that would recognize Saturday, June 19 or Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

June 19 could be a state-recognized holiday under a senate bill moving through the legislature. The date, also known as Juneteenth, is seen nationally as a day to celebrate the freeing of slaves. But in Florida, many people recognize May 20 instead. That's the day in 1865 when union soldiers read the Emancipation Proclamation for the first time in Tallahassee.

The Tallahassee City Commission is recognizing May 20 as Emancipation Day in Florida.

The Tallahassee City Commission is recognizing May 20 as Emancipation Day in Florida.

May 20 will now be a paid holiday for Leon County government employees. County commissioners created the new holiday in recognition of the day in 1865, when Tallahassee slaves were told they were free.

Bay County's first official Juneteenth Celebration took place in downtown Panama City over the weekend. Hundreds of protestors expressed solidarity against racism and called for justice on behalf of African Americans killed by the police.