Juneteenth Free Family Day
June 7, 2025 at 10am–5pm Jepson Center- This event has passed.
Free Admission from 10am-5pm at the Jepson Center and Telfair Academy
Family art making activities and performances from 1-4pm
Telfair kicks off Juneteenth events in Savannah with its 18th year observance of this celebration of freedom and culture. Family Day performances will begin with a 1pm libation ceremony on the steps of the Jepson Center, accompanied by drummers and the African Spirit (Jamal Toure). Queen-Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah Geechee Nation, will present storytelling, followed by a featured performance by author and performer Ron Daise (Gullah Gullah Island). The afternoon will also feature artist demonstrations by sweetgrass basket maker Gregory Grant, and painter Napoleon Wilkerson, and a presentation by youth of the Front Porch Step Team. The Telfair Academy will also be open free to local residents in celebration of the Craft Along the Coast exhibition, which includes the work of African American woodcarvers and basket makers.
More on the featured performance:
Ron Daise, a son of St. Helena Island, SC, is an author, performing artist, educator, and cultural interpreter. His writings and recordings about Gullah Geechee culture and history have documented his heritage for decades. His books include books Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage, his Geechee Literature Series and his most recent historical novel, Raptors in the Ricelands, by Belle Isle Books. A 2019 recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Distinctive Achievement Award, he is known by many as “Mr. Ron” from “Gullah Gullah Island,” Nick Jr. TV’s award-winning children’s program of the 1990s. He is a former chairman of the federal Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission and is featured in exhibits at the International African American Museum, Charleston, SC, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC.
FREE admission to the Jepson Center and Telfair Academy for local residents (Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty, Bulloch, Beaufort, and Jasper Counties).
