Madison County commemorates Juneteenth with annual community conversation

HUNTSVILLE — Madison County will recognize Juneteenth with its third annual community conversation hosted by District 6 Commissioner Violet Edwards this week.

Honoring the holiday’s significance, the district is partnering with Huntsville-based Vision Excellence Company for “Oh, Freedom 2025!”

Community leaders will join Edwards and Dr. Karockas “Doc Rock” Watkins of VEC to discuss “The Village R.E.S.E.T. – A conversation on the (R)eligion, (E)ducation, (S)ocial culture, (E)conomics, and (T)raditions of the Black community.”

“When you reset, you reevaluate and reprioritize,” Edwards said. “With this conversation, we hope to revisit the core values that helped us build our communities from scratch and have kept our families strong for decades.

“How can we lean into those values, and what are the takeaways from our history to help navigate today’s chaos?”

This free event is Thursday at 10 a.m. It will be held at the Robert “Bob” Harrison Wellness and Advocacy Center, 6156 Pulaski Pike in Huntsville. The program will feature a panel discussion, followed by a mortgage-burning ceremony to celebrate the center’s debt retirement. The festivities will conclude with a food truck rally and networking opportunities.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and became an official state holiday this year. Celebrations often center on family, culture, and education.

In the spirit of Juneteenth, event organizers seek to hold a thought-provoking conversation on resilience and lessons learned from the past.

Sharing their expertise are Dr. Dorothy Huston of the Diversity Leadership Colloquium; Dr. Clarence Sutton, superintendent of Huntsville City Schools; Ms. Tiffany Draper of The Women’s Expo Huntsville; and Dr. Lyle Lee of Huntsville Bible College.

“As we gather for Oh Freedom 2025, we have a powerful opportunity to reflect, reconnect, and reset,” said Watkins. “This conversation is a call to action for us to revisit our core values and commit to building a vibrant future – together.

“I am honored to partner once again with Commissioner Edwards and help lead this vital conversation alongside impactful leaders shaping our communities’ path forward.”