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Juneteenth celebrations across NC include quilting, tours and historical reenactments

A 2021 Juneteenth celebration on Main Street in Durham.
Denise Allen
A 2021 Juneteenth celebration on Main Street in Durham.

For twenty years, Juneteenth celebrations have been held across the state of North Carolina. The tradition dates back to long before Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. Leoneda Inge sits down with the North Carolina Juneteenth State Director to discuss how commemorations have evolved over the years and what’s in store for the state’s 20th anniversary of Juneteenth celebrations.

Phyllis Coley, CEO and Publisher of Spectacular magazine, NC Juneteenth State Director

Kimberley Cartwright

The 2025 Kindred Spirits: A Convergence of African American Quilters Conference showcases the work of African American artists who are shaping Black historical narratives through abstract and story quilting and other textile arts exploration. The conference runs June 19-21 in downtown Durham.

Kimberley Cartwright, quilting artist, educator and Kindred Spirits Quilting Conference director

Kimberley Cartwright

On Juneteenth, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson is embarking on a two-week literary tour that follows abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad route from North Carolina to Canada. The goal of the journey is to keep Tubman’s freedom fighting history alive for new generations, whose access to Black history texts and resources are dwindling.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, entrepreneur, motivational speaker

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Stacia L. Brown is a writer and audio storyteller who has worked in public media since 2016, when she partnered with the Association of Independents in Radio and Baltimore's WEAA 88.9 to create The Rise of Charm City, a narrative podcast that centered community oral histories. She has worked for WAMU’s daily news radio program, 1A, as well as WUNC’s The State of Things. Stacia was a producer for WUNC's award-winning series, Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon and a co-creator of the station's first children's literacy podcast, The Story Stables. She served as a senior producer for two Ten Percent Happier podcasts, Childproof and More Than a Feeling. In early 2023, she was interim executive producer for WNYC’s The Takeaway.