JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville civil rights group lit up a local bridge in red, black and green in honor of Juneteenth.
The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc. said the display was to celebrate Juneteenth, and to send a message in response to Governor Ron DeSantis' Freedom Summer mandate.
“We’re here to celebrate our ancestors and show the governor that hey, we're going to light the bridge up tonight,” Northside Coalition member, Maceo George, said.
The Florida Department of Transportation secretary declared that lights on state bridges will be red, white and blue for the summer.
RELATED: Acosta Bridge won't be lit for Juneteenth, Pride month, other summer events after statewide change
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Jacksonville's Acosta Bridge is often lit up with different colors to celebrate events and holidays. The state's announcement was weeks before the bridge was expected to be illuminated for gun safety awareness, Pride month and Juneteenth.
In 2023, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority shared an image on X showing the Acosta Bridge lit up in black, green and red in honor of Juneteenth.
RELATED: Acosta Bridge won't be lit for Juneteenth, Pride month, other summer events after statewide change
The Northside Coalition said it won't allow state mandates to prevent it from lighting the bridge to celebrate Juneteenth.
"We are lighting the bridge for Juneteenth in red, black, and green to honor all Black Americans who literally fought for their freedom from slavery; who suffered systematic discrimination and violence; who organized, marched, bled, and died for civil rights; and who persevere even when obstacles are thrown in front of us today that disrespect us and attempt to disempower us. We are here to say that we shall continue to overcome," Northside Coalition of Jacksonville President Kelly Frazier said in a statement shared with First Coast News.
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, discovered they were free. The day came two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War. June 19 was designated a federal holiday in 2021.
The group plans to light the Main Street Bridge for 19 minutes starting at 9:19 p.m. to honor Juneteenth.
On the eve of Pride month, LGBTQ+ community members took matters into their own hands and lined the Main Street Bridge with rainbow-colored flashlights. The event came together in less than 48 hours, First Coast News partner The Florida-Times Union reported.
One of the event organizers said seeing the Acosta Bridge lit up in red, white and blue at the same time the Main Street Bridge shined in rainbow colors symbolized that freedom and diversity are not mutually exclusive.
"If this is about freedom, let's go exercise our freedom, and that's what is so special about what we did tonight," Matt McAllister told the Florida Times-Union.