Juneteenth Celebration: Honoring African American Trailblazer

Join us in celebrating Juneteenth, a significant day in American history, at Southwest Middle School in Searcy on June 19 from 3pm to 6pm. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted in 1863. In Arkansas, enslaved individuals were also freed with the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865.

The City of Searcy and the Searcy School District are proud to honor this important holiday by recognizing Mr. Harold Lee Wilson posthumously as one of the city’s African American trailblazers and educators. We will unveil a sign for the newly renamed gymnasium at Southwest Middle School: the Harold Lee Wilson Gymnasium. 

The event will also feature a presentation by Searcy Mayor Mat Faulkner and Ms. Ernestine Barron from the Historical Society for White County Training School, titled "The Untold Truth," offering a look back at the history of the school.