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Jackson, Mississippi marks Juneteenth with seven free events across eight days — from a folk opera premiere at Jackson State University to a Ranger Talk at the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument to an inaugural gospel celebration at LeFleur's Bluff State Park. We've got the full guide, plus a conversation with Brad Franklin, the organizer behind the 10th Annual Juneteenth on Farish, on what it means to plant a decade-long tradition on one of the most historically significant streets in the South.

TRANSCRIPT

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Yolanda
June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, word finally reached Galveston, Texas that enslaved people were free. More than 150 years later, Jackson marks that moment with seven events across eight days. Hey, it's Yolanda Clay-Moore with a front row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It's the people, places, and events that make the City With Soul shine.

This is a Soul Sessions Extra, your full guide to Juneteenth in Jackson, plus a conversation with Brad Franklin, the man behind the 10th Annual Juneteenth on Farish.

Here's the week. Sunday, June 14th, Jackson State University hosts Jubilee: A Folk Opera, a free premiere concert reading developed through a collaboration between JSU and Yale University, presented as part of the HBCU Opera and Musical Theater Summer Festival at F.D. Hall Music Center from 4 to 6 p.m., with a reception to follow.

On Thursday, June 18th, you actually have two options. The City of Jackson Juneteenth Extravaganza runs from 4 to 10 p.m. in the back parking lot of the Jackson Convention Complex. There'll be live entertainment, African drums and dance, spoken word, line dancing, food trucks, kids activities, and fireworks. And it's free. Then at 7, the Juneteenth Kickoff Jam at the Patton House and Gallery on North State Street brings live music from Ally Durr — one of our own, actually — and band, DJ Daddy Bug, food trucks, and live painting by Latrice Lawson. Bring a lawn chair. It's free. You can register on Eventbrite.

On Friday the 19th, there are two more. The Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument opens at 9 a.m. for Juneteenth: The Transformation of Freedom. There will be yard games in Myrlie's Garden, Junior Ranger activities, and a Ranger Talk at 2 p.m. It's free through 4 p.m. Then from 4 to 8, Juneteenth Jubilee at the Two Mississippi Museums, sponsored by Ingalls Shipbuilding, features flash museum tours, line-dancing workshops, a kids' zone, an adults-only lounge, and spoken word by JT the Poet and Sadie. It's free.

On Saturday, June 20th, Farish Street closes down for the 10th Annual Juneteenth on Farish from 5 to 10 p.m. Mike Rob and the 601 Band, Mycharee, Kandy Janai, Scottie Pimpen, Breda G, Yung Top, T. Ross, and a special performance by Kamikaze, hosted by Kaz and Queen. It's free.

The week closes on Sunday, June 21st, at LeFleur's Bluff State Park. Faith & Freedom is an inaugural celebration honoring the Black Church and the sounds from Mississippi that shaped America's story — gospel, worship, and a presentation of the My City JXN MS Impact Award to David R. Curry, Jr., co-founder and producer of the Mississippi Mass Choir. Musical tributes to the Williams Brothers, the Canton Spirituals, and the Jackson Southernaires. It's on Father's Day from 5 to 7, and it's also free.

Seven events over eight days, and all of them are free.

Jackson has always known how to hold history and celebration in the same hand. Nobody understands that better than Brad Franklin, who's been building Juneteenth on Farish for a decade. We sat down with him to talk about what it means to plant a tradition on a street like Farish, and why ten years in, the work is far from finished.

Yolanda
Ten years is a milestone for any event, but doing it on Farish Street carries a different kind of weight. When you started this, what did you think it could become? And does what it's grown into match that vision?

Brad
I was just part of the process. Monique Mapp actually had the idea for Juneteenth on Farish, and she came to me when I was the marketing manager for the Department of Human and Cultural Services, working for the city of Jackson under Mayor Yarber. So she brought the idea to me and I helped her to facilitate it because she wanted to move out of Battlefield Park. So I kind of just de facto became part of the process. And when I left the city, I stayed on board as part of the committee to do Juneteenth on Farish.

The initial idea was to bring the Juneteenth Festival to a central location in downtown Jackson, a place that was historic and had some historic value to it. And it definitely has blossomed into exactly what we had hoped that it would. It's become just that. So as you said, ten years is a milestone for anything. And for us to be able to do this in downtown Jackson and have it grow like it has is a blessing.

Yolanda
How do you approach booking for a Juneteenth event specifically? Is the lineup doing something intentional, or does it reflect the community telling you what it wants to hear?

Brad
It's a little bit of both. I kind of coordinate the entertainment and coordinate the look and feeling of the festival each year. And music is a huge part of that. So I try to make sure that I have a good mix of hip hop, R&B, Southern Soul, and spoken word. It kind of just, on the heels of doing Jackson Indie Music Week each year, we have a wide variety and array of artists that we're able to reach out to that we know are available. So I want to make sure that we have something for everybody there. The musical choices that we have, especially this year, is something for everyone — so regardless if you are sixteen or if you're sixty-five, we have something for you and something that would be pleasing to your ear as you're out there sitting around and enjoying the festival.

Yolanda
Farish Street has its own complicated story — the history, the revival efforts, the ongoing conversation about what it becomes next. What does it mean to anchor this celebration on that particular block, year after year?

Brad
Farish Street, as you know, is historically the second most successful Black empowerment district behind Harlem. And it has a rich history, it has a rich heritage. Music is a part of that heritage, business and commerce is a part of that heritage. And that was located right here in Jackson, Mississippi. So it's very appropriate that we have this event on Farish Street. It's the perfect place for it. And now looking back in hindsight, we made a great choice. There's a lot of great places in the city of Jackson that we could have had — Monique originally worked with the folks that were doing Juneteenth over in Battlefield Park — so there's plenty of parks and areas and venues that we could have done this in. But Farish Street just fits, just because of the history. Just because of what it means for the city of Jackson and what it means for Mississippi, it's the perfect place for it.

Yolanda
That is Brad Franklin, and what comes through is that Juneteenth on Farish was never just a concert. It's an act of reclamation, placing joy and community back on a street that earned both. Ten years in, the tradition is doing exactly what traditions are supposed to do — reminding a city who it is. Links to all seven events in our show notes at visitjackson.com/soulsessions.
This podcast is produced by Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Mississippi's capital city. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Ricky Thigpen, and Paul Wolf is our managing editor. There's always something great going on in Jackson, and we keep up with it at visitjackson.com.

I'm Yolanda Clay-Moore, and you've been listening to Soul Sessions.

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