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ZEBULON - The Juneteenth event that was scheduled to be held on the Pike County Courthouse grounds on Saturday, June 20, 2026 has been canceled, and the event has been moved to a new location due to a disagreement between the local NAACP and Pike resident Sean Walker.

Pike County NAACP Unit 5228 cancelled their request to hold this event on the Courthouse grounds, and the application was officially rescinded at the June 10 meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Prior to this action, the request for street closure for the event was not approved by the Zebulon City Council at their meeting on June 1.

Instead, the 2026 Juneteenth Celebration will be hosted by Pike County NAACP at the Outreach Center located at 480 2nd Street in Concord on Saturday, June 20.

The Request to Use Courthouse Grounds with the County

A request to use the Courthouse grounds for the annual Juneteenth Celebration was given to the Pike County Board of Commissioners by local resident Sean Walker on behalf of Pike County NAACP Unit 5228. Commissioners heard the request to use the Courthouse grounds during the April 28, 2026 meeting and approved the use of the Courthouse grounds for the event. The application gave an anticipated attendance of approximately 150 to 250 individuals.

In the May 21, 2026 Special Called Meeting of the Pike County Board of Commissioners, County Manager/Attorney Rob Morton clarified the use of the Courthouse Grounds based on a flyer that had been posted on social media referencing a possible attendance of 1,500 to 2,000 people.

From the minutes: “Mr. Morton stated that the Board approved an application submitted by the NAACP Pike County Branch for use of the Courthouse Grounds on June 20, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., in connection with a Juneteenth event. Mr. Morton noted that the approved application identified an anticipated attendance of approximately 150 to 250 individuals. He further clarified that advertisements referencing attendance of 1,500 to 2,000 individuals were not approved by the Board.” Members of the NAACP Pike County Branch were in attendance at this meeting.

On June 1, 2026, the Pike County Board of Commissioners received a letter from the local NAACP asking Pike County to rescind the permit to use the Courthouse grounds on June 20, 2026 for the annual Juneteenth Celebration. The request was heard at the June 10, 2026 meeting of the Board of Commissioners.

Since the Pike County NAACP had asked for and received authorization to use the Courthouse grounds for their event, commissioners approved their request to rescind the permit to use the Courthouse grounds in a 5-0 vote.

Chairman Briar Johnson announced in the meeting that new location of the event would be at 480 Second Street in Concord at the Old Mount Calvary Outreach Center on June 20, 2026.

Request for Street Closure with the City of Zebulon

A request for street closure had made to the Zebulon City Council. The matter was handled when it came before City Council in their June 1, 2026 meeting.

The post agenda simply stated that the NAACP had canceled their event so there was no need to approve the road closure.

Letter to Sean Walker

On June 5, 2026, a letter was sent to Sean Walker from Patricia Beckham, President of Pike County NAACP. The letters and all information contained in this article were obtained through open records by Pike County Times.

Walker was advised that the Pike County NAACP “must rescind permission” to use the Courthouse grounds for the annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 20 and would be relocating the event to an alternate venue. He was advised that since the event had been requested, planned, and authorized on behalf of the local NAACP, they would bear “full responsibility and accountability for the event, including its administration, operations, and financial management” and not Walker or his marketing company.

Walker had previously attempted to have the permit changed to his organization, but his request was denied by County Manager Rob Morton in writing. The NAACP quoted part of Morton’s response to Walker in this letter: “…The Board of Commissioners has not approved the use of the Pike County Courthouse Grounds on June 20, 2026, by Sean Walker or Defiant Ones Marketing.”

The letter also referenced a May 20, 2026 email from Walker to the NAACP in which Walker said that he had raised approximately $700 or more through fundraising efforts for the event, and that this action was determined to have placed the local NAACP in an “untenable position and raise significant legal and organizational concerns” because it appeared that Walker had solicited funds using the name of the NAACP without approval and that he had charged vendor fees when the NAACP had “expressly agreed that vendor participation would be free of charge and that no vendor fees would be collected.”

Walker was then advised that his actions and the misrepresentation of the local NAACP had caused them to escalate this matter to the Georgia NAACP Legal Department for review and action.

The letter closed by stating that the local NAACP remained committed to celebrating Juneteenth and honoring its significance within the community but said that this celebration had to be conducted “in a manner that protects the integrity of our organization and ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and NAACP guidelines.”

The letter was copied and sent to Pike County’s County Manager, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, the Zebulon Police Department, and the NAACP Georgia State Conference (Legal Department).

Zebulon Event Has Been Canceled; Event Moved to Concord

The Zebulon event has been canceled and is not a sanctioned or permitted event. The use of the Courthouse grounds was rescinded by the Pike County Board of Commissioners and the permit to close the streets around the Courthouse was not approved by the City of Zebulon.

Vendors who have paid money to be a part of this canceled event can contact Walker for the return of their fees.

Vendors are welcome to be a part of the Juneteenth Celebration at the new location.

Closing

Pike County's Juneteenth Celebration, "The Journey to Freedom Continues," will be held on June 20, 2026 at 480 Second Street in Concord at the Old Mount Calvary Outreach Center.

The program will take place at 1:00 p.m. Pastor R. Belcher from Joyful Tabernacle of Praise in Concord will be the keynote speaker. The public is invited to attend.

A Voter Registration Drive will be held from 11 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Vendors are welcomed to be a part of this event. Donations will be welcomed, but there is no cost to attend this event. Vendors will be required to sign a waiver to be a part of the event. Setup time is 9:00 a.m.

This event is sponsored by the Pike County NAACP and supported by Concerned Citizens 4 Pike (CC4P).

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