Jacksonville activists lit Main Street Bridge to honor Juneteenth

A Jacksonville civil rights group lit up a local bridge in red, black, and green.  The installation, according to the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc., was intended to honor Juneteenth and to convey a statement in response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ directive for Freedom Summer.

Member of the Northside Coalition Maceo George stated, “We’re here to honor our ancestors and show the governor that hey, we’re going to light the bridge up tonight.” 

The Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville is frequently lit up in various colors to commemorate occasions and festivals. Weeks before the bridge was scheduled to be lit up in observance of Juneteenth, Pride Month, and gun safety, the state made its statement.

We are celebrating Juneteenth by lighting the bridge in red, black, and green in remembrance of all Black Americans who literally battled to end slavery, who endured institutionalized prejudice and brutality, who organized, marched, suffered, and lost their lives in defense of civil rights; and who never gave up despite the many challenges that still face us today, insulting and trying to weaken us. 

Kelly Frazier, the president of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, released a statement with First Coast News that read, “We are here to say that we shall continue to overcome.”

Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free. The Civil War had ended two years before this day when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In 2021, June 19 was declared a federal holiday.  

In observance of Juneteenth, the organization intends to illuminate the Main Street Bridge for 19 minutes, beginning at 9:19 p.m. A spokesperson for the event stated that witnessing the Acosta Bridge illuminated in red, white, and blue. At the same time, the Main Street Bridge glowed in rainbow hues, representing the idea that variety and freedom are not antagonistic.