Blame City of Florence? UNA Should Get Half the Blame!

 

For the past two years, a Florence group called Jammin' for Justice has put on a Juneteenth celebration. The organization is led by Melissa Hardin, and by all accounts, the galas have been very successful.

This year, the City of Florence and the University of North Alabama have joined forces to put on their own Juneteenth event. No one from either the city or the university asked for Ms. Hardin's help or advice.

We'll ask you to ponder the ethics of this, but our main complaint is that various other organizations are upset with the city. Yes, apparently just the City of Florence - UNA has escaped similar reproach.

Can the area have two celebrations at relatively the same time? Certainly. Yet it does seem a waste of resources. Why couldn't this third organization have been added as a sponsor? Who in the city or university felt it would be prudent to leave Jammin' for Justice out of the equation?