What is Juneteenth?

Even now, when the federal government has designated a national holiday to commemorate the date (this year, we will observe the day on Monday, June 19), there are still many who do not know what the celebration is all about.

"Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed," wrote Elizabeth Nix for The History Channel website. "The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday."

What can you do to celebrate?

The University will celebrate the holiday with events this week, including the Juneteenth Banned Books & Literacy Festival, hosted by the Education and Civil Rights Initiative (ECRI) at the University of Kentucky College of Education. The festival takes place Friday, June 16 (virtually — register here) and Saturday, June 17 (in-person — register here). The Saturday sessions are designed for youth and family participation. 

What else will the city of Lexington be doing to celebrate?

Events:

• Juneteenth Jubilee
  Presented by African Cemetery No. 2
  African Cemetery No. 2, 419 East Seventh St.
  Saturday, June 10, 2023, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
  The 18th annual celebration highlights the spirit of freedom and honors the Civil War soldiers who fought for that freedom.  
   
• Soulteenth Fest
  Presented by SoulFeast Week
  Moondance Amphitheater, 1152 Monarch St. 
  Saturday, June 17, 2023, noon – 6 p.m.
  Celebrate black liberation and ingenuity through music, art, agriculture and food.
   
• Juneteenth Independence Day Celebration
  Presented by the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center 
  Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center, 300 East Third St. 
  Saturday, June 17, 2023, Doors open at 4 p.m.
  Celebrating African American independence and artistic expression through live performances ranging from jazz, hip-hop, line-dancing, spoken word and opera.
   
• Juneteenth Celebration
  Presented by Kentucky U.S. Freedmen Coalition
  Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden, 577 East Third St. 
  Sunday, June 18, 2023, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  Entertainment, food, information booths, vendors and community fellowship celebrating black American liberation.
   
• Juneteenth Freedom Day
  Presented by Wise Guys Barbershop & Georgetown St. Neighborhood Association
  Douglass Park, 726 Georgetown St.
  Sunday, June 18, 2023, 2 – 8 p.m.
  A community celebration with the goal to bring awareness to culture, history, equality and peace to the neighborhood through food, music and kids activities. 
   
• “A Sense of Place” Campaign Launch 
  Cadentown Missionary Baptist Church, 2950 Cadentown Road
  Monday, June 19, 2023, 11 a.m.
  Remembering and celebrating the history of Fayette County's rural Black hamlets.