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Gwinnett honors African American Legacy with historic Montgomery pilgrimage

Story Link: https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/home/stories/viewstory/-/story/GwinnetthonorsAfricanAmericanLegacy

Gwinnett County has commemorated African American legacy, culture, and progress throughout the month of June, commencing with an impactful educational journey to Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday, June 7. 

District 3 Commissioner Jasper Watkins III led a trip to the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice with two charter buses full of community leaders, congregation members of Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Gwinnett volunteer liaisons, and members of the Hooper-Renwick Legacy Preservation Committee, including prominent community advocate Ms. Ruby Neal. 

The Legacy Museum, originally opened in 2018 and expanded in 2021, uses oral histories, archival materials, and cutting-edge interactive technology to portray the horrors of enslavement. The adjacent National Memorial for Peace and Justice is dedicated to the memory of victims of racial violence. 

This educational trip was described by participants as “moving, educational, and unifying,” setting a powerful tone for Gwinnett's month of African American legacy celebrations. 

This momentum continued on June 16 with the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Hooper-Renwick Themed Library, a landmark facility in Lawrenceville that preserves the Hooper-Renwick School, which once served as the only high school for Black students in the Gwinnett County school system.

The month's significant events then culminated on June 17 with the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners' formal Juneteenth Proclamation, recognizing numerous Black community organizations and Gwinnett's Divine Nine sororities and fraternities.