With Juneteenth activities canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff from The Meridian Freedom Project recognized the day by reconnecting with their students.

Staff drove to the homes of 36 Meridian Freedom Project Fellows Friday morning, delivering goodie bags and sharing information about the holiday.

Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth dates to 1865, and commemorates the announcement of the end of slavery in the United States.

The event was a surprise, as the students hadn’t seen the staff since the COVID-19 outbreak began, said Adrian Cross, executive director of the Meridian Freedom Project, an organization that aims to develop future leaders. 

“We are teaching them about their culture and as they get older, they will learn more about it and embrace it even more,” Cross said.

The organization is offers a summer program, called Freedom Summer, tying it in with the 1964 Freedom Summer. The summer program has two parts, one for middle schoolers and another for 10th to 12th graders.

The program allows students to build on academic skills, and help them catch up on material they may have missed since schools were closed in March.