Naperville Neighbors United hosted its fifth annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday at Rotary Hill.
Live music, dancing, food trucks, and more than 30 vendors added to the celebration.
Education on Juneteenth history
“It’s just been great to celebrate the history of Juneteenth, and what that is all about, and really just bring awareness and encourage the entire community to come out and celebrate,” said NNU Board Chair Kim White.
The holiday, which falls on June 19, remembers that day in 1865, when Union soldiers told slaves in Galveston, Texas, of their freedom. Juneteenth celebrations mark the end of slavery in the US, as two years later, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Activities and educational booths at the event helped attendees learn about Juneteenth and African American history in Naperville.
Speakers such as Illinois Senator Laura Ellman and NNU co-founder Benny White remarked on the significance of Juneteenth celebrations, and Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli made a Juneteenth proclamation.
Celebrating Naperville-area diversity
The annual event also celebrates the diversity of Naperville and its surrounding communities.
“It’s important for us to support each other’s holidays to learn about each other, to learn about real history, and then continue to grow this event. We have lots of people coming, even to this event, from Bolingbrook, from Aurora, from Wheaton, Warrenville. So it really brings the whole community to Naperville,” said Saily Joshi, NNU consultant.
“We all come from different backgrounds,” Benny White said, “but when we all can come together and celebrate the accomplishments that our African American community has made, as well as the other folks in our community, it just makes for a much richer neighborhood.”
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