JuneteenthKC, a nonprofit organization in Kansas City, is hosting several events to celebrate Juneteenth, the official end of slavery in the US. The events include a parade on June 3 and a festival on June 17 that is expected to draw 15,000 people. The program director, Makeda Peterson, said that celebrating Juneteenth helps to bridge the gap between black communities and other communities. She added that Juneteenth is a unifying point of coming together for all Americans to experience and make a connection. In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday in the US after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.
As people gather this month for programs and other events celebrating the end of slavery in the United States, they are celebrating more than Black resilience.
By invoking conversation, they’re also helping to bridge the gap between Black communities and other communities in Kansas City, said Makeda Peterson, the program director for JuneteenthKC, a nonprofit that oversees some of the biggest local Juneteenth celebrations and activities.
The organization’s Juneteenth events include a parade June 3 and a festival on June 17 that Peterson projects will draw 15,000 people.
She is carrying on the legacy of her father, Horace M. Peterson III, the historian and founder of the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, who started an annual citywide Juneteenth celebration in 1980.
There are parallel stories of oppression in America, “and the African American pursuit of freedom is just one story,” she said. “If there are ways for others to experience Juneteenth and make the connection, it can be a unifying point of coming together.”
Juneteenth, or June 19, commemorates the official end of slavery in the United States, specifically the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell enslaved people they were free. President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which freed enslaved people in Confederate states.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday two years ago after Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law.
In Kansas City, celebrating Juneteenth and the resilience Black people have shown throughout centuries of oppression has been a long-standing tradition within Black communities.
“Juneteenth has always been needed in telling our story and preserving the history and culture because at one time the history was not as accessible and embraced as it is now,” Makeda Peterson said.
The following is a list of Juneteenth events happening in the Kansas City metro area.
Juneteenth events in Kansas City
June 2
Kansas City First Fridays: On the first Friday of every month in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, a variety of food and art vendors, galleries and other businesses welcome visitors. Under its Strengthen the Vine campaign, JuneteenthKC began an extension of the celebration in the historic Jazz District at 18th and Vine. The event starts at 4…
JuneteenthKC is bringing the Kansas City community together to celebrate and honor the end of slavery in the United States. With events like a parade and festival, they hope to bridge the gap between Black communities and other communities in Kansas City. The program director, Makeda Peterson, believes that Juneteenth can be a unifying point of coming together for all communities.
Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell enslaved people they were free, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Juneteenth became a federal holiday two years ago after Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.
Celebrating Juneteenth and the resilience Black people have shown throughout centuries of oppression has been a long-standing tradition within Black communities in Kansas City. It has always been needed in telling their story and preserving their history and culture.
Kansas City is hosting several Juneteenth events, including a parade and festival. JuneteenthKC is extending the celebration in the historic Jazz District at 18th and Vine under its Strengthen the Vine campaign. Visitors can enjoy a variety of food and art vendors, galleries, and other businesses at the Kansas City First Fridays event in the Crossroads Arts District.
Juneteenth is not just a celebration of Black resilience, but a unifying point of coming together for all communities. It is a time to honor the end of slavery in the United States and to remember the resilience and strength of Black communities throughout history.
