Sandy Springs Council Member Melody Kelley, Ph.D., is on the ground in the Central Perimeter community, whether she’s teaching at Georgia State University’s Dunwoody campus or serving her constituents.
“What I recognized is, especially north of Atlanta, Juneteenth is fairly new … I mean it didn’t even become a national holiday until 2021,” Kelley said. “We’re still in a phase where local governments are figuring out how to handle it in their own communities, and so I wanted to take some of that weight off of the other cities. Let’s come together.”
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, specifically when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to announce that the last enslaved African Americans were free.
From grassroots to regional celebration
Four years ago, Kelley and a group of Sandy Springs residents held a small gathering on the City Green. The next year, it was an optional holiday for city staff. In 2024, the city sponsored its first official Juneteenth Celebration at City Springs.
“Many things that appear grand start off very granular,” she said. “If we’re going to build this tradition, it needs to be built from the ground up, and not the top down.”
Kelley said the “Central Perimeter Juneteenth” is one of the most inclusive events metro Atlantans can find, with activities and experiences for everyone. Even as as an official “Signature Event,” the Juneteenth Celebration is uniquely funded by corporate sponsors and community organizations.
One of the oldest historical Black communities north of Atlanta is Lynwood Park in north Brookhaven. Kelley and the board of volunteers organizing the annual event incorporate that history into their programming.
“Sandy Springs had a Black community just after the Civil War called DeWald’s Alley,” Kelley said. “Because of Jim Crow and things like that, the people were displaced and moved over to Lynwood Park. “So there’s always been this connection between our communities.”
Attendees can expect five hours of arts & crafts, games, live entertainment, a drum circle, food trucks, genealogy labs, and local vendors on the City Green. Also outside this year, local high school students will display their digital artwork in partnership with LIQUID Arts and Productions and artist PeQue.
“A cohort of students went through a 16-week program, and they’re producing the work,” Kelley said. “We’ve always done this, but it’ll be bigger.”
