Longtime community advocate and Botetourt County resident Cheryl Sullivan-Willis will serve as emcee for the educational presentations featured during Historic Greenfield’s Juneteenth Freedom Jubilee celebration on Saturday, June 20.
The afternoon program, titled Historic Greenfield: Past, Present & Future, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Botetourt County Administration Center, 57 S. Center Drive in Daleville. The event is free and open to the public.
The program will begin with three presentations focused on Historic Greenfield Plantation’s past, present and future, highlighting ongoing efforts to preserve and share the site’s African American history. Featured speaker Joseph McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project will discuss the importance of preserving structures connected to enslaved communities and the stories they represent.
The afternoon will conclude with live local music and a community barbecue dinner.
Sullivan-Willis, an award-winning local business owner and civic leader, has built a reputation for combining entrepreneurial success with community service. Guided by a personal mission to empower people, create opportunities and inspire action, she has served on numerous boards and organizations focused on economic development, leadership advancement and community impact.
For the past nine years, Sullivan-Willis has served on Botetourt County’s Historic Greenfield Advisory Council and has been an active member of the Juneteenth Freedom Jubilee planning committee.
Her involvement with Historic Greenfield extends beyond civic service.
“I’m not only a lover of history and genealogy, but my family history is personally connected to Historic Greenfield Plantation,” Sullivan-Willis said. “My great-grandparents are buried there, along with other family members believed to be direct descendants of the enslaved people who worked there.”
She said she hopes this year’s celebration will encourage reflection on the sacrifices made by previous generations and the importance of preserving their stories.
“I hope that this year’s Juneteenth Freedom Jubilee celebration inspires us all not to take life for granted and to recognize the sacrifices so many others made so that we may all live equally and free,” Sullivan-Willis said.
The Juneteenth Freedom Jubilee celebrates freedom, heritage, education and community while highlighting Historic Greenfield’s significance to Botetourt County and the region’s African American history.
Space for the presentation portion of the event is limited, and organizers encourage advance registration. Information about registration, schedules and participation opportunities is available at HistoricGreenfield.org.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
