It’s a party that’s more than a century overdue.
Memphis’ Juneteenth celebration will move from Robert R. Church Park to Health Sciences Park. To the place where a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest – a slave trader and Confederate general whose troops slaughtered surrendering Black troops at Fort Pillow 157 years ago – cast its shadow since 1904.
That statue was removed in 2017. This month, the park was purged of Forrest’s remains and that of his wife.
Just in time for the freedom festivities to commence.
“When they come to the festival in Health Sciences Park, not only will they have amazing music. They’ll have amazing vendors, and amazing things to do,” said Telisa Franklin, CEO of the Juneteenth Urban Music Festival - and who has organized Memphis’ Juneteenth celebrations for nearly three decades.
Groups book Juneteenth locations with several across Memphis commercialappeal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from commercialappeal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Juneteenth Festival planned for Memphis park where Confederate generalâs remains are buried
Memphis Juneteenth Festival will be held at health science park By Arianna Poindexter | April 30, 2021 at 12:28 PM CDT - Updated April 30 at 6:39 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - This yearâs Juneteenth Urban Music Festival is at Health Sciences Park where Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrestâs remains are still buried.
âFreedom is here, freedom is now. We are in our new home, the Memphis Juneteenth festival,â said Festival President, Telisa Franklin.
Franklin said they are âreclaiming these groundsâ as organizers announced plans Friday for the festival June 18 and 19.
The festival will take place in the park June 18 and 19.
The Forrests remains are still in Health Sciences Park though the bronze equestrian monument honoring the once slave-trader who presided over the slaughter of Black Union Army soldiers was removed in December 2017.
The removal of the monument came after more than a year of protests lead by grassroots group #TakeEmDown901 and after a city council vote secured the sale of Health Sciences Park to Memphis Greenspace Inc. The sale allowed officials to bypass Tennessee laws that prohibited the removal of such monuments.
The pandemic forced the celebration to go virtual in 2020, though an informal celebration formed Downtown at the I Am A Man Plaza outside Clayborn Temple after weeks of protests in Memphis spurred by the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.