JAMES WELDON JOHNSON PARK

Don’t miss NEFL’s only chalk drawing competition at James Weldon Johnson Park happening this Saturday, March 25th from noon to 5pm.

James Weldon Johnson Park’s Hip Hop Festival returns for its second year to once again shine light on the Duval Hip Hop scene while paying special homage to the late Paten Locke – a Duval based, internationally acclaimed Hip Hop Legend whose influence reverberates throughout Duval’s Hip Hop circles to this day. The festival will feature many local food trucks and vendors, be family friendly, free to attend and will take place from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

Vive Wellness Fest is BACK Saturday, March 4th at James Weldon Johnson Park. We invite you to come explore the power of body-based healing and experience all that Vive Wellness Fest has to offer! From vibrant Zumba classes, Ice baths, Sound baths, Community yoga sessions and Guided meditation journeys - there’s something for everyone. Let this magical day bring out your creative spirit as we flow together into one high vibe movement – let’s feel alive in harmony at Vive Wellness Fest!.

Ben Frazier, the leader of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, led a rally Tuesday evening and spoke in front of the city council for the first time since his removal in handcuffs from a December meeting.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a bullet was fired through the fourth-floor window of the mayor’s office at City Hall.

An event that began with three friends in 1988 in Paris has now become an annual soiree among hundreds of people throughout multiple cities across America.

The $10 million project became official as the park’s board approved it last week as a part of a bigger strategic plan.

Brown said to expect uniformed and plain-clothed officers all over the area.

The Emancipation Celebration Day will return to Jacksonville this year.

Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, James Weldon Johnson Park and the City of Jacksonville are hosting the 2nd annual Jacksonville Emancipation Celebration Day following last year’s successful event. The festival will take place on Saturday, May 21, 2022 from 4pm to 9pm in James Weldon Johnson Park. Fresh from his star making turn on NBC’s The Voice, Paris Winningham will headline the festival’s entertainment. Other great local performers include Jacksonville Arts and Music School, Taryn “Love Reigns” Warwood, Mal Jones and MJbaker. In addition, Jacksonville’s Emancipation Celebration will feature local African American food trucks and vendors and fun activities for the kids.

Wednesday is Jordan Davis Day at James Weldon Johnson Park, and the foundation named in his honor is holding an event to celebrate what would have been his 27th birthday.

On Monday, Nov. 29, the City of Jacksonville’s annual celebration of Hanukkah will be held at James Weldon Johnson Park.

The City of Jacksonville will hold its annual event and Christmas tree lighting ceremony at James Weldon Johnson Park on Wednesday, Dec. 1.

Viva La Fiesta is this Saturday and Sunday at James Weldon Johnson Park.

City Hall was struck by gunfire during one of two shootings early Sunday morning in Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Five people were shot, one fatally, in two separate shootings early Sunday morning in Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

More than a year after a Confederate statue was removed from the now James Weldon Johnson Park, a Jacksonville man has filed a lawsuit against Mayor Lenny Curry and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over other statues that are still standing.

Three teenagers were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning in Jacksonville, police said.

Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, James Weldon Johnson Park and the City of Jacksonville are excited to announce the first annual Jacksonville Emancipation Celebration. The festival will take place on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in an effort to educate the community about the historical significance of Florida’s observed Emancipation Day.

Friends of James Weldon Johnson Park is hosting a series of free events for the public during the entire month of May.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Take a stroll down Laura Street in Downtown Jacksonville near James Weldon Johnson Park right now, and you’ll spot murals on the historic Greenleaf and Crosby Building to honor Black History Month. Specifically, the temporary murals are tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in American history. Wonderful!” said Demetria Orange, who was passing by the murals Thursday afternoon. “It shows love, it shows appreciation and also it shows progress,” said James Jackson. The murals were commissioned by The Law Offices of Phillips and Hunt and Folio Weekly.

A statue and plaque that honored fallen Confederate soldiers at a downtown park is one step closer to being returned to the family that originally donated it. The statue once stood in what was long known as Hemming Park, until last year, when it was renamed James Weldon Johnson Park. During Tuesday night’s City Council meting, Elwood Hemming, a descendant of the Hemming family, which donated the statue, appeared via Zoom. He said the family is grateful City Council listened to their plea to have the statue returned. “Hopefully the administration works in good faith and with the Hemming family in getting the statue back to the family,” Dennis said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Eighty vendors and food trucks took part in a holiday pop-up Sunday in downtown Jacksonville. The event supported local businesses that have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic. The two have had to travel to find events to sell their items, which they say isn’t ideal during the pandemic. “So something local like this that brings our community back together because we are community most of the vendors,” Taylor-Hicks said. “Look what we’re doing.”904 Pop Up says another event will take place Jan. 24 at the Seawalk Pavilion.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Its officially Christmas time in Jacksonville - the switch was flipped on Tuesday night, lighting the tree downtown. At 6:15 p.m., the lights on the tree lit up, showcasing the beautiful blue, red and gold ornaments. This year the tree lighting was virtual, so many people watched at home on their tv screens. “This is a very special time of the year for everyone, and we just love to see the lighting of the Christmas tree, especially in Jacksonville,” Steward said. Last year during the demolition, the ceremony was moved to the park, formerly known as Hemming Park.

The biggest honor was a proclamation from the United States Department of the Interior that commemorates the day Ax Handle Saturday happened. But according to local civil rights activist Rodney Hurst, the 1960 NAACP Youth Council president who was 16 years old when he and others were attacked on Ax Handle Saturday, the proclamation has multiple errors. The second line in the proclamation states Ax Handle Saturday resulted in the eventual integration of public accommodations citywide.But Hurst said thats false. And the proclamation states the civil rights movement in Jacksonville began with Ax Handle Saturday. Hurst said facts are needed for a moment in history that has shaped the local and national civil rights movement for generations to come.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thursday marks the 60th anniversary of the 1960 sit-ins and Ax Handle Saturday, the day a mob of white men with axes and bats attacked young black people after a peaceful sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in downtown Jacksonville. Above are photos of the event at James Weldon Johnson Park, formerly known as Hemming Park on Thursday.

The Jacksonville NAACPs Youth Council commemorated the 60th anniversary of the civil rights demonstration and infamous attack in a ceremony Thursday afternoon in James Weldon Johnson Park, where the attacks took place in 1960. This tragic event, now known as Ax Handle Saturday, leaves a lasting mark on Jacksonville, as both a testament to the progress that has been made and a reminder that we must always stand up for whats right. Today, we continue their fight against injustice and for equality for Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many more. Trumps administration did acknowledge the events with the proclamation, although some facts in it were disputed by the organizers of Thursdays commemoration. Today, the @realDonaldTrump Administration rightly recognized the horrors of #AxHandleSaturday and officially designated newly-named James Weldon Johnson Park as part of the African American Civil Rights Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The uproar over renaming Hemming Park to James Weldon Johnson Park is prompting the Jacksonville City Council to consider making some changes in its procedure on renaming buildings and parks. When Councilman Garrett Dennis first proposed the name change for the park, he followed council rules. While the majority of council members voted for the name change, many believe the process of renaming parks and public buildings needs to be improved. Salems main concern is the lack of input from the public with only one public hearing required. With one public hearing we negotiate multi-million dollar deals with the same six week process, Dennis said.

City Councilman Rory Diamond introduced legislation that would institute a two-year moratorium on future renaming, and now that bill is facing opposition and questions about the legislations motive. Even though that bill was withdrawn, Diamond wants to slow down the renaming process. Diamond is proposing a two-year moratorium on renaming Jacksonville parks, schools and public facilities, arguing the city should focus on the pandemic and rebuilding the local economy. Dennis said he wants to fully understand Diamonds motive before the city agrees to pump the brakes on renaming projects for the next two years. The issue is expected to be discussed during the next City Council meeting.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A plan to change the name of a downtown park is causing a rift within the Jacksonville City Council, but a compromise is in the works. It centers around Hemming Park, which is currently named after Civil War veteran Charles Hemming, who donated a Confederate memorial to the state in 1898. “It was definitely a sneak attack by a fellow council member,” Dennis said, noting that legislation to rename Hemming Park after Johnson has been in the works for several weeks. Still those two alone won’t decide the future of the park as it would take 10 votes from City Council to rename it. In my opinion, there should be no agreement, settlement or compromise regarding the proposed name change to James Weldon Johnson park.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The process for the Jacksonville City Council to consider changing the names of two city parks continued Tuesday. One would change the name of Confederate Park to Springfield Park. The other bill would change the name of Hemming Park, which is in front of City Hall, to James Weldon Johnson Park. The proposal came a week after a Confederate monument was removed from Hemming Park, the downtown city plaza framed on two sides by City Hall and the federal courthouse. The park is currently named after Civil War veteran Charles Hemming, who donated the Confederate memorial to the state of Florida in 1898.