Charlotte Juneteenth event celebrates local heroes

FREEDOM FIGHTING MISSIONARIES

Freedom Fighting Missionaries founder Kenny Robinson.

A Juneteenth celebration is recognizing local advocacy.

Freedom Fighting Missionaries will host “Freedom Reimagined: A Juneteenth Experience of Culture, Community, and Impact” on June 19 at Knight Theater to celebrate artists, educators and social workers. Tickets are available at blumentarts.org. The highlight is the premier of “Freedom Reimagined,” a documentary produced by Crux Films that explores housing instability in Charlotte, affected people and perspectives from community leaders.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing and Homelessness Dashboard, as of April 30, there are 2,386 unhoused homeless people from 1,987 households in Mecklenburg County. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reported more than 5,700 homeless students during the 2024-25 academic year.

“This documentary will feature not only Freedom Fighting Missionaries staff and clients, but also have perspectives from District Attorney Spencer Mayweather, Sheriff Gary McFadden, vice president of Wells Fargo Rodrick Banks, and Carol Hardison, CEO of Crisis Assistance Ministry,” Freedom Fighting Missionaries founder Kenny Robinson said. “This documentary will show how these collaborations work together to truly give those that we serve an opportunity for a second chance to rebuild their lives.” 

The showcase also highlights community arts groups with performances by Vision Elite Royalty, a youth dance company, and Brighter Day Community Gospel Choir.

“There’s always a focus of any Freedom Fighting Missionaries event to highlight the creative arts in the community, specifically the Black creative arts who don’t have an opportunity to perform on such a large stage in front of such amount of people regularly,” Robinson said.

People who have made an impact in the community will also be acknowledged. Two people will receive lifetime achievement awards; another will get the entrepreneur of the year award. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board chair Stephanie Sneed will deliver the keynote address.

“She’s going to do a keynote address at the event, highlighting the importance of education and how homelessness impacts testing with students,” Robinson said.

The event takes place on Juneteenth to celebrate the freedoms African Americans enjoy as well as the strength of working together.

“We do want to highlight not only the freedom from slavery, but from the freedom from all forms of bondage, including incarceration and poverty and show that the community has come together in a way to celebrate the theme of Juneteenth by showing the collaborative work that's done in the community that often goes unseen,” Robinson said.

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