2025 UCAN Freedom Ride & Atlantic Beach Juneteenth Celebration
"Freedom Wheels & Gullah Roots: Riding Together for Legacy & Liberation"

Celebrate Freedom. Honor Heritage. Build Community.
Join UCAN for a powerful Juneteenth experience blending movement, culture, and economic empowerment across the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. This unique event connects our past to present struggles for equity through a freedom ride convoy, vibrant cultural festival, and intentional support for Black entrepreneurship.

Event Highlights

📅 Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025
📍 Convoy Start: 9:00 AM at Alex's Wireless Parking Lot (150 Holden Beach Rd SW, Shallotte, NC)
🎉 Atlantic Beach Festival: 1:00 PM–7:00 PM

🚗 Freedom Ride Convoy Through History

• Route: Scenic police-escorted ride along the Gullah Geechee Corridor with rest stop at historic marker
• Registration Includes:
• Light refreshments at kickoff
• Professional convoy photo opportunity
• Pricing:

        Individual Vehicle/Dual Riders:

• $20/$30

🔗 Register Now: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/ucan-2025-juneteenth-freedom-ride

🎤 Atlantic Beach Cultural Festival

• Living History: Gullah Geechee elder speakers sharing untold stories
• Live Entertainment: Traditional drumming, sweetgrass basket demonstrations, and soulful performances
• Black Business Marketplace: Supporting local entrepreneurs with vendor opportunities
• Art & Education: Interactive displays on Gullah heritage and freedom struggles

🏆 Contests for All Convoy Riders

• Motorcycle Clubs: "Best Rolling Brotherhood/Sisterhood", "Legacy Club", "Best Custom Build", "Most Spirited" & "Peoples' Choice"
• Individuals/Couples: "Best Solo Spirit", "Solo Social Star", "Dynamic Duo", "Freedom Rider Spirit" & "Peoples' Choice"
• Vehicles: "Rolling Freedom Chariot" & "Timeless Freedom Machine", "Workhorse Award" & "Peoples' Choice"
  Winners receive prizes, social media features, and community recognition!

💰 50/50 Drawing for Change-Online Purchase: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/ucan-juneteenth-celebration-5050-raffle

• Separate from ride registration - anyone can participate!
• Proceeds support UCAN's programs:
• Food justice initiatives (Healthy Food Boxes, community gardens)
• Entrepreneur resources (business conferences, mentorship)
• Youth leadership development
• Drawing at Atlantic Beach festival - winner need not be present!

Honoring Our Roots, Building Our Future

As an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, UCAN partners with the Town of Atlantic Beach, SC to:

• Preserve Gullah Geechee culture through education and arts
• Create economic opportunities for marginalized entrepreneurs
• Bridge communities through shared history and celebration

Sponsorship Opportunities Available! (500−

500−5,000 tiers): https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/ucan-2025-juneteenth-celebration-sponsorship
📞 Contact: Sandra Brooks, UCAN CEO
📧 Email: UCAN2003@atmc.net
📱 Call: (910) 253-0600

Join us as we ride from remembrance to resilience!

"From the Middle Passage to the Freedom Ride - our stories move us forward."

🔗 Full Details & Registration: www.UCAN.solutions

PREVIOUS JUNETEENTH EVENTS

Juneteenth & UCAN: A Shared Legacy of Liberation, Equity, and Empowerment

Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) marks the day the last enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This delayed liberation mirrors the systemic barriers UCAN dismantles today. Just as General Order No. 3 demanded justice for the oppressed, UCAN’s mission fights modern inequities—transforming historical resilience into economic power, cultural pride, and generational change.

Why Juneteenth Aligns with UCAN’s Core Mission

1. Breaking Chains, Building Opportunity

• Then: Enslaved people claimed freedom against violent suppression.
• Now: UCAN’s entrepreneurship programs (microloans, business hubs) break financial chains for marginalized communities.

  2. Nourishing Liberation

• Then: First Juneteenth meals celebrated with red foods (symbolizing sacrifice and strength).
• Now: UCAN’s Food Hub and Healthy Food Boxes combat food apartheid—honoring survival with sustenance.

  3. Education as Resistance

• Then: Literacy was forbidden; freedpeople built schools.
• Now: UCAN’s youth STEM camps and E3 Leadership Summit arm students with tools to disrupt systemic inequality.

  4. Cultural Sovereignty

• Then: Spirituals and storytelling preserved identity.
• Now: UCAN’s Gullah Geechee initiatives (language, farming, arts) protect heritage as activism.

"Juneteenth isn’t history—it’s our blueprint. UCAN turns commemorations into power.

Interested in participating in a program or volunteering?