Haines City Celebrates Juneteenth With Proclamation and a Week of Community Events
HAINES CITY, Fla. — Haines City marked Juneteenth Freedom Day in a big way in 2026, capping a week of community celebration with an official proclamation from the City Commission on June 18, honoring the organizations and local women who have built this tradition from the ground up.
The commission issued a Juneteenth Freedom Day proclamation for June 19, recognizing that Haines City was the first municipality in Polk County to designate Juneteenth as a paid city employee holiday, a distinction the city achieved in 2020. That milestone traces directly back to Cynthia Downing, president of the Haines City Juneteenth Heritage Coalition, who brought the idea of a Juneteenth celebration to Haines City in 2019 and made the case to city leaders that the holiday deserved official recognition.
The recognition at Thursday’s meeting extended to several community groups and leaders who have carried that work forward, including the Haines City Juneteenth Heritage Coalition, the Juneteenth committee, and Women Interacting and Networking Inc., an organization dedicated to empowering women through connection, collaboration, and community-building.
Three local titleholders were also honored at the commission meeting: President of Haines City Juneteenth Heritage Coalition, Cynthia Downing, Ms. Juneteenth Chana Farrell, and Teen Miss Juneteenth Imani Johnson, a student at Ridge Community High School. Both Farrell and Johnson received their crowns on June 12, at the Haines City Juneteenth Pageant, held at Oakland Auditorium.
The commission proclamation was just one piece of a full week of events organized by the Haines City Juneteenth Heritage Coalition. The celebrations began with a pageant, a Gospel Explosion at New Mt. Zion M.B. Church, and a formal event, the Juneteenth Gala. The week wrapped up on Saturday with a Music Festival at Lake Eva Park.
For a city that has led Polk County on this issue for six years, this week felt like proof of what one person with a vision and a community willing to listen can build. Lakeland, Winter Haven, Lake Alfred, and Bartow eventually followed Haines City’s lead on the paid holiday, with Lakeland becoming the last of Polk County’s major cities to adopt it in April 2024, four years after Haines City moved first. Florida has never recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday, making each city’s individual decision to honor it that much more meaningful.
The June 18 commission meeting recognized more than Juneteenth. Haines City also honored one of its own, Tavion “Tee” Maultsby, a Haines City native and Ridge Career Center graduate who has built a national name in the barbering industry. Maultsby serves as Team Barber for the San Francisco 49ers and served as the College Football Playoff National Championship Barber Coordinator from 2017 through 2023, managing teams of more than 20 barbers per event across major host cities. He is also the owner of House of Favor, a private grooming lounge, and a global ambassador for Andis Clipper Company and Hattori Hanzo Shears. Beyond his professional achievements, Tee has remained rooted in Haines City through youth mentorship and community giving, funding Thanksgiving meals and Christmas toys for local children each year. The commission recognized him by proclamation for his professional excellence, charitable contributions, and national influence, a source of pride that stretches from Haines City to the NFL sideline.
The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and announce freedom to enslaved people there. The order, known as General Order No. 3, declared that all enslaved people were now free, almost two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when the 117th U.S. Congress enacted legislation to that effect.
Juneteenth has been observed by various groups in Polk County for more than three decades. The Haines City Juneteenth Heritage Coalition has been central to keeping that tradition growing locally, organizing celebrations rooted in education, culture, music, art, food, and storytelling. Teen Miss Juneteenth Johnson, representing Ridge Community High School, is a reminder that the meaning of Juneteenth is being carried forward by a new generation right here in Polk County.
For more information on the Haines City Juneteenth Proclamation or the Juneteenth Heritage Coalition, visit hainescityjuneteenth.org. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available
Sources: City of Haines City Commission Meeting, June 18, 2026; City of Haines City Commission Agenda, June 18, 2026, hainescity.com; Haines City Juneteenth Heritage Coalition, hainescityjuneteent
