Juneteenth in Georgetown | Remember. Learn. Serve.
About this Event
Join the Black Georgetown Foundation on Juneteenth for a day of remembrance, learning, and service at the Mt. Zion – Female Union Band Society Cemeteries in Georgetown, DC.
Friday, June 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
2501 Mill Road NW, Washington, DC
Free and open to all ages
About This Place
If you live in the DMV, you know Georgetown. But do you know what is tucked behind some of its most expensive real estate?
The Mt. Zion – Female Union Band Society Cemeteries, dating back to 1808 and 1842, are the oldest remaining intact Black cemeteries in Washington, DC. Freedom seekers, church founders, mutual aid pioneers, Civil War veterans, families, children, elders, and community builders are buried here.
These cemeteries are also recognized as a UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Site of Memory — placing them within a global network of sites committed to preserving the memory of slavery, resistance, and freedom, and the lives of people often left out of official history.
This Juneteenth, come stand on that ground.
What's Happening on June 19
Cemetery Tours Led by Black Georgetown Foundation Executive Director Lisa Fager, these tours share the real history of this city through the names, stories, and lives of those buried here.
Invasive W**d Removal Japanese knotweed has taken over sections of the cemetery. It is aggressive, relentless, and no match for a community that shows up. This is one of our biggest preservation challenges — and we need all hands.
Beautification Help collect leaves, mulch, and clear debris to restore the visual dignity these sacred grounds deserve.
Memory Rocks Paint and place a tribute stone in honor of those resting here — including those with headstones, those in unmarked graves, and those whose names we may never recover. This tradition grew from the community's response after Nannie's grave was desecrated on Juneteenth 2023.
No experience necessary. No special skills required. Just show up. Bring a partner, friend, parent, neighbor, or school-age child.
Please Come Prepared
- Open to all ages. School-age children are welcome.
- Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes.
- Bring gloves if you have them — we will have extras on site.
- Please, no pets.
A Special Dedication: Honoring Judge Oliver Gasch
In the 1970s, the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation, descendants, and community organizers fought to save these cemeteries from developers who sought to disinter those buried here and build luxury condominiums on this sacred ground.
They brought their fight to court. And Judge Oliver Gasch listened.
In his July 31, 1975 ruling, Judge Gasch wrote that such development "cannot but offend the sensitivities of civilized people" and that these grounds represent "a monument to evolving free black culture in the District of Columbia."
A tree was planted in the cemeteries in his honor. This Juneteenth, we will place a commemorative plaque so that all who visit will know his name and what he did.
Without the community's fight — and Judge Gasch's ruling — we would not be standing here.
Questions? [email protected]
Learn more: www.blackgeorgetown.com
Follow us: @blackgeorgetown on Instagram
Juneteenth 2024 Learn & Service day was featurned on PBS Newshour and produced by the PBS Student Reporting Lab -- Watch Below
“The wholeness of a people diminishes when the ancestors are not honored.” — African proverb
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
