Juneteenth
Are you celebrating Juneteenth this weekend?
Are you not sure what Juneteenth is?
Read on to learn some history about Juneteenth.
What is Juneteenth?
June 19th is the Juneteenth holiday celebrated to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
On June 19,1866, one year after the announcement, freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of “Jubilee Day” (Day of Jubilee). Early celebrations were used as political rallies to give voting instructions to newly freed slaves. By the 1890s, Jubilee Day had become known as Juneteenth.
Many people celebrate Juneteenth by having a barbecue and drinking red strawberry soda. When the slaves were freed, they celebrated by drinking red soda, a luxury that they hadn’t been able to have as slaves. So it has since become a tradition to drink red soda on Juneteenth.
In 1997, Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, designed the Juneteenth flag. It was revised in 2000 and again in 2007 to become the flag that is displayed around the country today.
Juneteenth has been celebrated in Wichita Kansas as early as the 1900’s when blacks would celebrate what they considered to be their Independence Day.
South Dakota and Hawaii are the only remaining states that don’t recognize the day as either a state holiday or a day of observance.
Juneteenth in Wichita
The following events are taking place in Wichita in celebration of Juneteenth:
Friday, June 18th: from 4-10 p.m.
Juneteenth ICT Blood Drive
1914 E 11th St N
Wichita, KS
Saturday, June 19th 8:00-9:30
Juneteenth ICT/Wichita Athletics TC 2 Mile Run
Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount St
Wichita, KS
June 4 – 26
Juneteenth Celebration Mwangaza
Reuben Saunders Gallery, 3215 E Douglas Ave
Wichita, KS
Take some time to find out what Wichita has to offer this weekend and learn more about Juneteenth.
