(6.19) Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day: Juneteenth goes by all these celebratory names, so head over to the Temple to Music this Sunday for a Juneteenth celebration. This festival of food and music ends with a fireworks display. From the National Museum of African American History and Culture:
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. He informed the enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. This momentous occasion has been celebrated as Juneteenth — a combination of June and 19 — for over 150 years.
The cruel irony was that the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued over two years earlier, on January 1, 1883, but enforcement often relied on the advance of Union troops.
The day has been celebrated as a federal holiday since June 17, 2021, when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Live performance by Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Elle Varner.
Fireworks from 8:30pm to 9:15pm.
Festival runs noon to 7:30pm, Temple to Music, RWP, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, (directions)