Juneteenth Tribute

A Juneteenth Tribute to Middlesex County African American Civil War Soldiers and Sailors will be held on Sunday, June 22, at 3:00 PM at Antioch Baptist Church in Saluda. More than 90 African American men with Middlesex County connections who served in the Civil War as members of the Union Navy or the Army’s United States Colored Troops have been identified. The Reverend Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, pastor of New Hope Fellowship, Hartfield, will reflect on the spiritual component of enslaved persons’ acts of self-emancipation. Reenactors representing the 23rd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops will appear in uniform and will speak about the Civil War involvement of colored soldiers and sailors broadly, as well as their participation in Juneteenth, specifically. Music will be provided by the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association Choir under the direction of Marcellus Dungee. Wreaths will be placed at the known graves of Civil War Veterans, and their descendants will be recognized. Traditional Juneteenth refreshments will be served, and the public is cordially invited. For further information, call Hallie Holmes at 804-854-5906 or Bessida White at 804-651-8753.

This program is sponsored by the Middle Peninsula African American Genealogical and Historical Society, the Heritage Committee of Middlesex County, the Middlesex County Museum, and the Fairfield Foundation, with support from Virginia Humanities.