Celebrate moments of African American liberation. Learn about the events that our center offers.
Learn about how you can be involved in the deepening of our celebration of home cookin.
JSAAHC celebrates June 19, 1865, historically referred to as Jubilee Day, commemorating the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Connect with us to keep up with programs these programs and to learn more about participating in our events.
The annual JSAAHC Greens Cook Off where local cooks face off with Greens, Mac-n-Cheese and Pound Cake to find out who gets crowned the best happens on September 7, 2024 from 11am to 3pm.
Sign up to be a cook and show off your skills.
If you would like to be a cook this year or be part of the planning email publicprograms@jeffschoolheritagecenter.org.
Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day commemorates the day that enslaved people in Galveston Texas were finally emancipated. Although originated in Texas, Juneteenth became more widely celebrated in the South during the 1920s.
Line up for the parade begins at 9am at Jackson P. Burley parking lot and the parade will end at the parking lot of JSAAHC.
The Black Business Expo will be on the yard with over 20 Black owned buisesses, a pitch contest and entrprenurial panels. The main stage will have an Emancipation Concert featuring artists like Ellis Williams, Ezra Hamilton, Raymond Brooks, Chris Redd, Ti Ames and many more.
Click the button below to sign up to walk in the parade!
We’ll see you on June 15!
At the time of the Civil War, 53.3 percent, some 14,000 residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County were enslaved, an historical fact which remained little known until the 2016 work of the city’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces (BRC).
At the BRC’s recommendation, in 2017 the Charlottesville City Council proclaimed March 3 to be Liberation and Freedom Day.
The celebration commemorates the March 3-6, 1865, arrival of Union cavalry in the area, when town and university officials surrendered at the current site of the UVA Chapel, and thousands of enslaved residents took the opportunity to escape and follow U.S. troops as they continued their advance toward Petersburg, Virginia.
March 4, 2023 JSAAHC and Prolyfyk will cosponsor a race. The route, totaling a little over 8 miles, will coincide with important markers in the Black history of Charlottesville.
Our series is named after Evelyn L. Barbour, who passed in 2014 at the age of 78 after a short illness. She attended the Jefferson School and was among the first graduating class Jackson P. Burley High School. She was an alumnus of Virginia Union University and the University of Virginia School of Education. She taught in various school systems and retired after more than 30 years of service. Ms. Barbour was a lifelong member of Mount Zion First African Baptist Church and her most notable work in the church was her role as historian. This series celebrates her work documenting history by creating oral histories in the form of conversation and connection.
Visit our events section to see our upcoming annual programs, gallery talks, exhibitions and more.
Have questions about this exhibition? Send us a message. We are happy to answer any questions.
Heritage Center
Tuesday – Friday 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm
Saturday 10 am – 1 pm
Closed Monday & Sunday