On Friday, June 19, 2026, the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, in partnership with the Bulloch County NAACP, welcomed community members from across the region for a heartfelt and reflective Juneteenth commemoration in 2026.

Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center marked Juneteenth 2026 with a community commemoration program on Friday, June 19. Hosted by the Bulloch County NAACP and the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, the commemoration featured history, music, food, history and community.

The Bulloch County NAACP, in partnership with Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, will celebrate Juneteenth with an event this Friday, June 19, 2026.

Hosted on the historic grounds of the Willow Hill community, the annual “A Taste of Struggle” event blended food, storytelling, museum tours and historical education to explore the struggles and traditions that shaped generations of African American families from Reconstruction through the Civil Rights era and beyond.

Set for Saturday, May 23 beginning at 1 p.m., the event explores how food became both a means of survival and a powerful expression of culture for enslaved Africans and their descendants. Through live demonstrations, storytelling, music and historical interpretation, visitors will experience the culinary roots of the historic Willow Hill community.

We’re talking about Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center Museum‘s annual Taste of the Struggle.

Museum historian Dr. Alvin D. Jackson and his daughter Dr. Nkenge Jackson-Flowers sat down with WSAV’s Kim Gusby to talk about the unique fundraiser that gives the attendees a deeper understanding of how African American foodways helped shape America’s identity.

This summer, TECH CORPS will return to Portal with technology-based summer camps at the Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center. Camps are available for students in 3rd through 8th grades and will be held in June. TECH CORPS will offer expanded programming this year with the introduction of IT On Ramp, a new two-week, full-day experience for 7th and 8th graders.

An eight-year-old boy watched Sherman’s troops pass through Emanuel County in 1864, not yet understanding how much his world was about to change. Decades later, that once-enslaved boy, Benjamin Bennett, would build a school on his Bulloch County farm, creating educational opportunities for generations of local children.

A lifelong pursuit of family history has unearthed the complex realities faced by enslaved ancestors. This week, hear the story of Thomas Hodges Sr., who was born into slavery in 1808, and his descendants.

Bulloch County Commissioners are making local government more approachable with a new, informal meeting format that saw a significant boost in public participation. The initial session in Portal drew a full house, signaling a successful shift towards direct dialogue with constituents.

Citizens attending a Bulloch County “town hall” meeting at Willow Hill this week told their concerns to the elected county commissioners and their top departmental staff members. Some of the discussion topics included roads, parks, and data centers.

Rising from the bonds of slavery, the Donaldson and Parrish families of Bulloch County played pivotal roles in the establishment of churches and the founding of the Willow Hill School.

The story begins with Harriet Riggs, who was sold on the courthouse steps in 1847. Through future generations, she would go on to profoundly impact the lives of African Americans and the county’s educational, religious, and civic history.

For decades, Dr. Alvin Jackson, Dr. Nkenge Jackson-Flowers, and the late Dr. Gayle Jackson have worked to preserve African American community history at Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center (WHHRC). Georgia Southern History students and faculty joined this effort more than ten years ago, helping to expand the project into exhibitions, internships, and a digital archive of more than 7,000 funeral programs.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS, has awarded the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center another $100,000 grant to continue and advance its work in preserving, digitizing and interpreting printed and written programs from African American funerals, the Willow Hill Center announced Monday.

The Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center (WHHRC) has received a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to preserve African American funeral programs documenting family and community history.

Roy Mosley, a farmer finding new routes to some old and “natural” paths, has added rice to his production of heirloom grain and vegetable varieties, natural-pasture pork and a few fresh chickens in the Willow Hill area.

Just in time for its annual festival, the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center welcomed a new playground with colorful equipment designed for children up to age 12 or so.