Hundreds of people participate in the Juneteenth Day of Liberation and Liberation March at the Knoxville College campus on Saturday, June 19, 2022. Saul Young/News Sentinel
Knoxville News Sentinel - Enslaved people in Tennessee were freed prior to June 19, 1865, the first Juneteenth.
"Historically we always celebrated the Eighth of August," said William Isom, founder of Black in Appalachia. "Andrew Johnson manumitted his own enslaved people (in 1863), prior to what we observe as Juneteenth."
Kevin Douglass Greene, the great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, holds up an antique photo of his famous relative during an interview on Monday, April 25, 2022. HELEN COMER/THE DAILY NEWS JOURNAL
The Tennessean- Kevin Douglass Greene pulled on the dark blue topcoat and light blue slacks of an infantry soldier.
His blue cap was emblazoned with the No. 13 and a curved horn, the logo of the 13th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops, free and formerly enslaved men who proved they were willing to fight and die for a nation debating their freedom.
Greene, 61, the great-great-grandson of abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass, wore the uniform proudly to inform the public about Juneteenth, a federal holiday that he would prefer to celebrate with a day of education as opposed to attending a cookout, music festival or other spirited get-togethers.
Greene was among the re-enactors in June roaming the corridors of the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville and answering questions about Black history.
"You still have to find some glory in it," he said. "As dark as the past is, you see we have accomplished something."
"The Tennessee Civil Rights Trail" a new podcast from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development explores the state's civil rights history and related landmarks.
The podcast is the latest example of using new media to honor the civil rights movement and is divided into three parts focusing on stories from Memphis and Nashville, as well as the town of Clinton's high school integration.
