Still We Rise: Highlights from the 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration at Foot Soldiers Park
Foot Soldiers Park’s 5th Annual “Still We Rise” Juneteenth Celebration honored the legacy of emancipation while activating Selma residents around civic engagement, community healing, and joy. This year’s commemoration brought families, elders, and youth together for an afternoon of live music, spoken word, and children’s activities, alongside civic action stations and community resource tables that connected neighbors with tools to vote, organize, and thrive. Even as weather disruptions forced schedule changes, Foot Soldiers Park and its partners ensured the celebration moved forward, underscoring the resilience and determination at the heart of both Juneteenth and Selma’s civil rights legacy.
“This celebration honors Black freedom, culture, and resilience right here in historic Selma. While we celebrate how far we’ve come, we’re reminded that the work for justice and equity continues.”
—Kennedy Smitherman, FSP Events Coordinator
More than a festival, the Juneteenth gathering at the future home of Foot Soldiers Park served as a living classroom on freedom, democracy, and shared responsibility. Through storytelling, artistic performances, and on-the-ground opportunities for civic participation, the event invited community members to reflect on the unfinished work of liberation—from voting rights to economic justice—while celebrating Black culture, creativity, and leadership.
As Foot Soldiers Park continues to grow, this annual Juneteenth tradition is becoming a cornerstone of Selma’s modern movement for historic preservation, civil rights and justice: lifting up the sacrifices of past foot soldiers while investing in the next generation of organizers, voters, and visionaries.
Read more about the event in The Selma Times Journal.
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