Here’s How Three Of Tampa Bay’s Black Leaders Spent Juneteenth

Tampa Bay Times; Published By Maddy Franklin

Juneteenth might be contained to one day, but its celebrations certainly aren’t.

In Tampa Bay, events honoring the end of slavery nationwide started early this month and many took place over the weekend. Monday, the actual holiday, still saw its share of fanfare, and we spent time with a few community leaders to see how they were observing the day.

Yvette Lewis, president of the NAACP Hillsborough County branch, got an early start to her day Monday, something the self-proclaimed morning person always does. After getting to the office at 7 a.m., she cleaned a bit then set out for Cyrus Greene Park to do a walkthrough for Tuesday’s Make Good Trouble Bus Tour stop in Tampa.

It would be a work-heavy day for her, but also one rife with reflection. Typing away on her laptop, she said her duties would coincide with listening to the words of activists like Harriet Tubman, Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer. Read more