Juneteenth in Sweet Auburn to bring art, vendors and community events to historic neighborhood

As Juneteenth celebrations take place across metro Atlanta this weekend, organizers in Sweet Auburn hope the holiday will also reconnect residents with one of the city’s most historic Black neighborhoods.

The Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC) and its Sweet Auburn Green and Equitable (SAGE) initiative are inviting metro Atlanta residents to celebrate Juneteenth through more than 20 community experiences, including art exhibits, local vendors, panel discussions and community events throughout the corridor on Saturday.

2022 Sage Fest Vendors List / HDDC

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people that they were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

“Our goal is to invite people back into the most historic neighborhood in Atlanta, which is Sweet Auburn,” said Nasim Fluker, Vice President of Programs at HDDC. “In order for a historic area to feel vibrant, you need businesses, you need housing. You need the same things you need in every other neighborhood.”

Nasim Fluker (right) and Robyn Sims fill in why family and community matter to them before the start of the Families First groundbreaking ceremony at the historic E.R. Carter Elementary School in Atlanta on Thursday, September 17, 2015. The school will become the new site of the Families First Resource Center. Families First is celebrating 125 years of helping Georgia families become self sufficient in a safe, stable and nurturing environement. JONATHAN PHILLIPS / SPECIAL

The HDDC is a nonprofit organization that has been stewarding resources and land in Sweet Auburn for more than 45 years. Its mission is to revitalize the neighborhood while preserving its history and identity.

2022 Sage Fest attendee sharing her wish for Sweet Auburn / HDDC

“We really want thriving communities that are both affordable and accessible and rooted in equity,” said Fluker, who is also the founder of The Tenth, a salon-style social club in Atlanta.