The City of Meridian and its Juneteenth Heritage Festival were recently recognized as a Humanitarian Honoree during the second annual Mississippi Pinnacle Awards Gala, held in Hattiesburg.

Meridian’s annual Juneteenth celebration was presented the Vernon Dahmer Community Engagement Award with Terrence Davis, the city’s community development cultural affairs coordinator and a leading organizer of the event, on hand to accept the honor for the city.

The black-tie gala, hosted by the statewide Sales and Marketing Professionals organization, took place April 9 at Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg. Prior to the awards dinner, the Humanitarian Honorees, sponsors and guests mingled with statewide Pinnacle finalists at a VIP cocktail reception.

In addition to recognizing the Humanitarian Honorees, six individuals, events, businesses or organizations from around the state were presented with 2024 Pinnacle Awards. They were chosen from hundreds of nominations received statewide.

The Mississippi Pinnacle Awards were established to honor excellence, professionalism and outstanding achievement in sales, marketing, public relations and community engagement in the state. The gala serves as a fundraising event for the organization’s Rising Star Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships for future sales and marketing professionals.

The City of Meridian’s Juneteenth Heritage Festival was one of five individuals or organizations recognized as Humanitarian Honorees during the gala.

Davis said Meridian’s Juneteenth celebration offers a vast array of culture-inspired activities for all ages and heritages. He said the city has commemorated the end of slavery for more than two decades with the annual celebration highlighting local African Americans’ contributions to a more equitable future.

The city’s Juneteenth festival continues to experience growth each year from the participation of residents and people living in the surrounding counties, he said.

In 2023, the festival expanded to a four-day celebration that included a Black Business Expo, a KidZone event at the Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian and a gospel celebration. The event culminated with a 2023 Trailblazers Ceremony where honorees included Eric F. Young, the founder of Meridian’s first Juneteenth observance; Robert Kennedy, CEO and owner of Berry & Gardner Funeral Home established in 1882; and Benny Dubose, the City of Meridian’s first African-American police chief. The program also featured a theatrical production “Freedom Day,” which was written and produced by one of Meridian’s up-and-coming African-American playwrights Randy Ferino.

Other Humanitarian honorees during the Mississippi Pinnacle Awards gala included Aubrey K. Lucas, president emeritus of the University of Southern Mississippi, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award; Secretary of State Michael Watson’s Statewide Initiative on Human Trafficking, which was recognized with the Oseola McCarty Community Impact Award; Sacred Heart Catholic School Mock Trial Team, which was presented the Rising Star Achievement Award; and Laurel native and neurosurgeon Dr. Deborrah Hyde, who in 1985 became the second African-American woman certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. She received the Evelyn Gandy Women’s Leadership Award.