Dear Editor,
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to visit Eatonton to partake in the festivities commemorating and honoring Juneteenth. The spiritof joy, togetherness, celebration, and love was heart-warmingand soul nurturing.
The day was the perfectdisplay, and example, ofunity, community, and extended family. The weather was perfect, and although rain clouds periodically threatened with the possibilityof ending the event, theclouds instead offered moments of release from the sweltering sun.
The panel discussionwas a wonderfulopportunity for thesharingof thoughts, ideas, concerns, and suggestions for individual, familial and community growth; enrichment and progress.
Those four panelists, on stage, were like chefs in a kitchen, following one menu passed down from different family lineages, collaborating to offer up deliciously pleasing food for the mind and soul.Gimme some of that cornbread, collard greens, macaroni & cheese, and black-eyed peas!Their mental food was complemented by the delicious food offered by the vendors present, offering mouth-watering delights for the body.
And lastly, but most importantly, the children. The laughter and free-spirited play of thechildren was the mostsignificantand greatesttribute to the spirit and commemoration of Juneteenth. An optimistically joyful spirit passed down from the past that is etched in the annals of the future that is assured through, in, and with the babies. Juneteenth 2026!
Timothy Aaron-Styles Athens