"What Does It Mean To Be Free?" — A Juneteenth Speakers Corner

Freedom didn't arrive all at once, and it didn't arrive on time. On June 19, 1865, Union troops reached Galveston, the last corner of the Confederacy still holding people in bondage. Even then, slavery persisted in places like Kentucky until the 13th Amendment passed that December. So Juneteenth isn't a tidy ending. It's the start of a longer question, one we're still living inside: what does it mean to be free?

This Juneteenth, come ask it with us.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FREE?

A Juneteenth Speakers Corner on Jefferson Street

🗓 Thursday, June 18 · 3–7 PM · drop in anytime

📍 Alkebu-Lan Images · 2721 Jefferson St, Nashville, TN 37208

This isn't a lecture, and it isn't only a party. It's both, and it builds through the afternoon. Come early for Slim's Smoqe Signals BBQ and the music, then stay for the conversation as it deepens. Whether you arrive at 3 or roll through at 5, you'll be walking into something still unfolding.

Across the afternoon we'll turn one question over from four directions, each opened with a poem, a passage, and a book from our shelves, guided by a circle of community voices including Dr. Alhadeed, retired chair of Black Studies at TSU:

— What does it mean to be free?

— What is the cost of freedom, and who has paid it?

— Are we free enough, and how do we hold the freedom we have?

— What are we building for those not yet free?

Come and go as your day allows. Bring a poem, a passage, or a few words of your own if the spirit moves you, or simply come to listen. Both are honored here.

It's free and open to all. We just ask that you RSVP so we know to expect you.