Juneteenth Kicks Off In Fairfax City With Ceremony, Parade

FAIRFAX CITY, VA —City of Fairfax is partnering with Mount Calvary Baptist Church for a free inaugural event to celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day.

Rev. Jeffery Johnson Sr., pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and his congregation will kick-0ff the celebration at 10 a.m., on Saturday, June 17, with an opening ceremony at Veterans Amphitheater at City Hall. Rev. Nelson Sneed, of the Northern Virginia Baptist Association, will lead the ceremony.

At the conclusion of the opening ceremony at 11 a.m., participants are invited to join the Juneteenth March from Veterans Amphitheater at 10455 Armstrong St. to Mount Calvary Baptist Church, which is located at 4325 Chain Bridge Road.

Starting at 11:30 a.m., participants can visit craft and informational vendors and enjoy food trucks, live music and dance.

Mount Calvary Baptist Church will host a ceremony at 1 p.m., featuring speakers, prayers, and scripture readings, followed by a history of Mount Calvary Baptist Church at 2 p.m.

More information about the City of Fairfax and Mounty Calvary Baptist Church's Juneteenth celebration can be found online.

Fairfax County Park Authority is hosting a variety of events over the holiday weekend for to celebrate Juneteenth. A full list of events and activities is available online.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Other Juneteenth events close to Fairfax City include:

• Juneteenth Celebration at First Baptist Church of Vienna, Saturday June 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the Liberty Amendments Opening Ceremony at 12 p.m.
• Liberty and Libraries: Author Talk and Unveiling of Patrick Henry Library Redesign Plans: The Role Libraries Play in Enhancing Equality and Individual Rights, Wednesday, June 28, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center.
• African American Historic Sites Tour of Vienna is a self-guided tour of contributions of Vienna’s African Americans from 1867 to 2006 compiled by longtime residents Sylvia Taylor and Gloria Runyon. Plan and take your tour.

Washington, D.C. is one of the top destinations to celebrate Juneteenth, U.S. News & World Report said in a story earlier this month.

• The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is hosting several events, including outdoor and indoor activities, on June 17.
• The National Archives will be displaying both the original Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 on Juneteenth weekend.
• The "One Life: Frederick Douglass" exhibit will open on June 16, at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
• Anacostia Community Museum will host its Juneteenth Freedom Celebration on June 19.

Related: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in Fairfax City will be closed Monday. Many state, county and local government offices will be closed as well, including:

City of Fairfax government offices: Closed on Monday, June 19

Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center: Open on Monday, June 19

Fairfax County government offices: Closed on Monday, June 19

Fairfax County Public Schools: Students are on summer break, but June 19 will be a holiday for all FCPS employees.

Courts: The Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court will be closed June 19.

Department of Motor Vehicles: All DMV customer service centers in Northern Virginia will be closed June 19.

CUE Bus: Open with modified weekday service on Monday, June 19

Fairfax Connector: Fairfax Connector will have holiday weekday service on June 19

Libraries: On June 19, all Fairfax County Public Library locations will be closed.

I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex Disposal Center will be open on June 19.

Refuse and recycling in Fairfax City: No collection on Monday, June 19. Monday and Tuesday collection will be collected on Tuesday, June 20.

Curbside yard waste collection delay is possible June 20-24.

All regular county trash, recycling, yard waste and special collection services are provided on all holidays except Christmas Day. Customers whose trash and recycling is collected by a private contractor should contact their trash company.