Dear Ones,
Last Sunday’s service on Juneteenth was awesome, with some profound sharing of experiences on racial justice. If you weren’t able to attend, you are encouraged to view the recorded program.
Juneteenth is being celebrated this Saturday June 19th, as you’ve probably heard, as our newest national holiday. This 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. 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 national holiday when President Biden signed it into law.
And here are some ways to celebrate it this weekend. Blessings of Justice and Peace, Barbara Atkinson
- The Lower Bucks County Juneteenth Committee invites the public to the first ever Juneteenth Festival to be held on Saturday, June 19 from 12 :00pm to 5:00pm at Bristol Borough’s Waterfront Park, 100 Basin Park. The festival, which commemorates the freeing of the last slaves in the South two-and-a-half years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln, will feature live entertainment, African music, food trucks, vendors and presentations.
- Juneteenth Philly announces: http://juneteenthphilly.org/
- 9:00-10:00am: Meet at 52nd Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia for a Freedom March
- 10:00-11:00am: Freedom Day Rally Program
- 11:00am-12:00pm: March commences down 52nd Street
- 12:00-3:00pm Art in the Park Exhibit and Vendors Fair at Malcolm X Park (5100 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143
- The final day of The Betsy Ross House’s Flag Fest (239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106coincides with Juneteenth this year, which means special programming at the Old City institution. The day kicks off with the raising of the Juneteenth flag by the United States Colored Troops, followed by a historical visit from Bishop Richard Allen, who founded Philly’s Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in 1794. Bonus: The first 100 people to show up get free admission to the attraction.
