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While much of the nation observes Juneteenth in June, a local event in St. John the Baptist Parish will honor the date of emancipation with a “July-teenth” celebration on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Woodland Plantation.

Hosted by The Descendants Project, the event honors the enslaved people of St. John the Baptist Parish who were not freed until July 1864, over 18 months after the Emancipation Proclamation, due to exemptions for 13 Louisiana parishes under Union control.

At that time, these areas were under Union control. President Abraham Lincoln chose to exclude them to encourage loyalty to the Union and to hasten Louisiana’s readmission.  

As a result, enslaved people in these parishes remained in bondage while others in the South were declared free.

“While Juneteenth is widely celebrated, July-teenth recognizes those whose freedom was delayed, contested, and remains incomplete,” organizers said in a statement.

The daylong event will feature performances by the Yellow Pocahontas Black Masking Indians, porch performances, community talks, and cultural programming centered on the legacy of emancipation and ongoing struggles for justice. Shuttle service begins at 9:30 a.m., with the first welcome remarks scheduled for 11 a.m. The program will conclude at 4:30 p.m.

Although attendance is restricted to 200 visitors, organizers emphasize that the event seeks to connect historical struggles for freedom with the ongoing challenges faced by fenceline communities along the industrial corridor known as “Cancer Alley.”

In recognition of the holiday, St John the Baptist Parish offices are closed today, June 19, 2025.