Bloomington, Indiana – On Saturday at 2 p.m., the city of Bloomington will host a celebration honoring Juneteenth, which marks the abolition of slavery in the United States. In Galveston, Texas, slaves were officially informed of their freedom on Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, or Emancipation Day.
Games, music, and free food from BBQ Train will be available throughout the celebration, according to a news release from the city of Bloomington. The statement states that the pavilion and Switchyard Plaza Spray Pad will serve as the locations for all Juneteenth commemoration events. The hosts of the event are urging guests to bring their own food, non-alcoholic drinks, chairs, and picnic blankets.
A number of Black-owned businesses offering products on-site are also available for attendees to purchase. According to the city of Bloomington, vendors include Beads by Z, Diegodoodles, LEADBABY Flix, Tandem Community Birth Center, and Postpartum House, Inc.
The first Juneteenth festivities, according to the Associated Press, took place in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Galveston inhabitants learned that the Civil War had finished and that enslaved people were now free. On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War, Union Army General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston and gave General Order No. 3, declaring that all enslaved persons in Texas were free. “Juneteenth” is a combination of the terms “June” and “nineteenth.”
After Georgia approved the 13th Amendment in December 1865, slavery was not declared null and void. According to the National Archives Foundation, Georgia met the criterion that three-quarters of the states needed to accept a Constitutional change by ratifying the 13th change, which officially ended slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth, or June 19, will be recognized as a federal holiday in June 2021 thanks to a bill approved by President Biden.
Attendees can visit the event website or email Shatoyia Moss, the city of Bloomington’s director of safe and civil city, at mosss@bloomington.in.gov for additional details on the city’s Juneteenth celebration.
