Port St. Lucie Juneteenth Celebration

This first annual event took place at the Emerald Ballroom in the MIDFLORIDA Event Center, Port St. Lucie Fl. with a host of speakers and distinguished guest. The celebration included creative dancing, a panel discussion and singing. Special events includes refreshments, a “Wish Tree”, and free Juneteenth custom photographs for the attendees.

Steven Graves…Master of Ceremonies …

Steven is an Emmy-nominated journalist who joins WPBF 25 News Mornings as part of the only local tri-anchor team and is excited to get to know beautiful South Florida!  The Maryland native comes to West Palm Beach after reporting at WBBM-TV in Chicago. Over his three years, he was the first reporter at the station to establish a community impact beat. He was also one of Chicago's first multi-media journalists. Additionally, Steven reported at WVEC-TV in Virginia Beach, Virginia and at KVII-TV in Amarillo, Texas. Steven earned his journalism degree from Salisbury University in Maryland.

Mayor Shannon Martin…

Mayor Martin proudly serves as the 15th mayor of the City of Port St. Lucie. From 2010 to 2021, she served as the District 3 City Council representative. In 2016, she was appointed Vice Mayor, demonstrating her growing influence and leadership. In 2021, after a successful Special Election, she became Mayor, and her victory by a super majority in the 2022 Mayoral election cemented her position as an exceptional leader dedicated to serving her beloved city for an additional four years.

Natasha Tripplett…

Award-winning author Natasha Tripplett lives in Northern California, where she writes from a tree house perched in a sycamore tree. Natasha is the recipient of the 2024 Mirrors and Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature Golden Poppy Award for JUNETEENTH IS. She has been published in various online magazines. Natasha has her master’s degree in social work and practiced in the field of adoptions. She has counseled families, adoptees, and children in foster care.

Dr. Wintley Phipps…Key Note Speaker

Phipps was born in Trinidad and Tobago, but at an early age moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He attended Kingsway College in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, a Seventh-day Adventist academy, and later Oakwood College, a Seventh-day Adventist college (university since 2007) in Huntsville, Alabama, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology. Phipps would go on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Wintley Phipps served as senior pastor to several churches in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, including the Capitol Hill and Seabrook Seventh-day Adventist Churches. He currently serves as pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church in Palm Bay, Florida. Wintley is married to Linda Galloway, whom he met at Oakwood. They have three sons: Wintley II, Winston Adriel, and Wade Alexander.
He has performed for American presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama at several National Prayer Breakfast events and other celebrations. He performed for the 1984 and 1988 Democratic National Conventions, Rosa Parks' 77th Birthday gala at the Kennedy Center, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and former South African President Nelson Mandela. He has appeared on programs such as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. television special, Dr. Robert Schuller's Hour of Power Telecast, and the Billy Graham Crusades; at the Vatican, and as guest soloist at Diana Ross's wedding ceremony in Switzerland,; and on Saturday Night Live, Soul Train, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He has conducted lectures in Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.
Wintley Phipps' performances also includes voice over work (or voice acting) with Breathe Bible. On July 27, 2020 he sang an emotionally-charged version of Amazing Grace as recently deceased US Repr. John Lewis lay in state in the US Capital in Washington, DC.