RALLY
FOR REPRESENTATION
Juneteenth Douglass will host the 2026 RALLY FOR REPRESENTATION at NOON on June 19th in the historic Douglass community!
So let me give y'all a bit of history...
"A Jubilee of Freedom”: Freed Slaves March in Charleston, South Carolina, March, 1865
At the Civil War’s end, enslaved people responded in a variety of ways to take their freedom. One meaning of freedom can be glimpsed in the following report from Charleston, South Carolina, published in the New York Daily Tribune on April 4, 1865, just a few days before General Robert E. Lee’s surrender in Virginia. Charleston boasted one of the largest and most important African-American communities in the antebellum South. Two months after the Confederate Army fled, the city’s black men and women organized a parade to celebrate their emancipation. The parade numbered thousands of marchers and included dramatic tableaux, banners, and songs. African Americans used such public celebrations to symbolize their deeply held beliefs and feelings, in a manner that paralleled the public displays of their white working-class counterparts in the decades before the war.
Source: Charleston, March 27, 1865." New-York Daily Tribune, Tuesday, April 4, 1865
Fast forward to 2026, April 29th... The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act essentially erasing 60 years of voting protections for people of color.
On May 7th Governor Bill Lee signed into law Tennessee's redrawn congressional maps wiping out voter's choices for congressional representation.
Douglass, now in District 5
While "they" are trying to roll back the rights of women, immigrants, children, all black and brown people, WE WILL STAND, MARCH, & RALLY FOR OUR FREEDOM!
JOIN US! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to DEMAND representation that centers community voice and concern!
We are inviting ALL CONGRESSIONAL DITRICT 5 CANDIDATES to the stage to present your platforms!
We will be joined by State Representatives Justin J. Pearson and Gabby Salinas, and Commissioner Henri Brooks to RALLY with us!
Encourage your family, friends, neighbors, and especially your young people to educate themselves on the candidates, get involved with the issues, and REGISTER TO VOTE!
Empowering Freedom
Rally for Representation & Community Power
On June 19, the festival will host the Rally for Representation beginning at noon, launching with a giant farmer puppet co-created during Jeghetto’s residency in the Douglass neighborhood with local residents and youth. The puppet stands as a symbol of community power, resilience, self-determination, and the ongoing fight to ensure that all voices are represented and heard.
As part of the Juneteenth Douglass Freedom Festival, community leaders, elected officials, advocates, artists, and candidates will gather for a community-centered rally focused on civic engagement, democratic participation, and the protection of voting rights.
“Juneteenth is more than a celebration of freedom—it’s an opportunity to remember the people whose labor, courage, and determination built our communities,” said Kathy Temple, Producer of the Juneteenth Douglass Freedom Festival.
This year we are especially proud to honor Black Farmers, whose contributions have too often been overlooked despite their essential role in feeding families, preserving land, and sustaining generations. Through our festival, we celebrate not only our history but our collective responsibility to protect freedom, representation, and opportunity for future generations.
The Rally for Representation will feature speakers including:
●State Representative Justin J. Pearson (Saturday)
●Gabby Salinas, State Representative
●Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Memphis City Council, District 7
●Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks
●C L Tim Williams, Always Giving Back Memphis
●Rachel Spriggs, The Equity Alliance
●Tameka Greer, Memphis Artists for Change
●Ian Randolph, Chair, Political Action Committee, NAACP & Shelby County Voter Alliance
The rally invites residents, families, artists, and community advocates to come together in celebration of Juneteenth while engaging in meaningful action around representation, civic participation, and the future of Memphis communities.