NASHVILLE, TN — Rev. Venita Lewis moved to Nashville from Texas in the mid-eighties.
She moved to the city to pursue a career in country music.
She connected with Carlos Bailey, the late great country artist, in 1985.
On June 19, 1985, Rev. Lewis asked Carlos Bailey, “Did the black community celebrate Juneteenth in the city of Nashville?”
“What is Juneteenth?” Bailey asked.
Rev. Lewis explained to him that it was the date that Texas slaves were freed two years later under the Emancipation Proclamation.
She discussed with him that freedom finally came to Texas on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, TX.
The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree.
This day came to be known as “Juneteenth” by the newly freed people in Texas.
“We celebrate Juneteenth every year in Texas,” Rev. Lewis explained.
“Lets have an artist and entertainment event at Sensation Lounge to celebrate Juneteenth,” Carlos explained.
It was in 1985 that the first Juneteenth celebration in Nashville was held at the Sensation Lounge on Trinity Lounge.
Rev. Lewis distributed information on the history of Juneteenth, and the event was held at Sensation Lounge every year.
Rev. Lewis shared her ideas with Dr. Shelia Peters, president of the NAACP.
During Dr. Peter’s administration as president of the NAACP, the first Juneteenth Celebration was held at Hadley Park.
This initiative caught on, and other organizations started celebrating Juneteenth.
The Juneteenth celebrations spread across the city, and it brought the birth of the holiday as we know it today.
