The mission of the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration is to educate and unify various demographic groups of people on the African American culture by effectively displaying the contributions of African Americans in past and current societies through various forms of art, public speaking, cuisine, advocacy, and religion distinctly of the African American heritage.

The Mary Spinks-Thigpen Oratorical Scholarship was established by the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration Committee to honor the continued legacy of Mrs. Mary Spinks-Thigpen. We honor Mrs. Thigpen with the namesake of this Oratorical Scholarship because she has and continues to be dedicated to educating and empowering the youth of our communities.

Importat Updates & Details for 2023

• Contest will be held as part of the Black Excellence Gala on Friday, June 16, 2023.

• Students can begin registering March 1, 2023 and the link can be found here.

• Contact the Juneteenth Director of Scholarships for concerns via email at kewannariley2@gmail.com

• Black Excellence Gala / Friday, June 16th

• 3rd Annual Freedom Parade & Festival Saturday, June 17th

• Isiah Fredricks Community Center & Ball Fields

More details and updates coming soon.

Vendor applications, volunteer sign-up links, scholarship applications, etc. will be uploaded here beginning February 25th.