Local Juneteenth celebrations kick off this week

Cedar Rapids and Johnson County residents can participate in a variety of events in the area to celebrate Juneteenth in the days leading up to and on the holiday.

Juneteenth — on June 19 this year — commemorates and celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African American people after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863.

According to the African American Museum of Iowa’s website, this holiday is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 after President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law.

The African American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, is hosting its annual Juneteenth celebration events June 13-19.

A staple event of the museum’s Juneteenth celebration is the Juneteenth Festival at NewBo City Market on Saturday, June 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This festival is typically held on the Saturday before Juneteenth, Melissa Porter, the museum’s communications coordinator, said.

At the festival, visitors can expect to see live music, local vendors and community nonprofit organizations, Porter said.

While the Juneteenth Festival has remained consistent over the past few years, the events leading up to and following the festival usually change from year to year, Porter said.

The first event this year will be held Thursday, June 13 at the African American Museum of Iowa and will feature a seminar of women of color speaking about advice for improving mental, physical and financial health.

The day after the Juneteenth Festival, the museum will host a lecture on June 16 about the Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2023, a federal bill that would direct the Department of Agriculture to “provide a variety of assistance to address historical discrimination and disparities in the agricultural sector.” So far, the bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives and referred to a committee.

On June 18, the museum will host two authors, Rachelle Chase, who wrote “Creating the Black Utopia of Buxton, Iowa,” and Jim Tillman, author of “Journal of African American History — Sioux City, Iowa”. They will speak about their work and sign copies of their books.

Finally, on June 19, the museum will extend its hours and host guided tours and children’s scavenger hunts. The museum, which recently reopened after a $5 million renovation, typically closes at 4 p.m., but it will close at 6 p.m. on this day.

Also on June 19, the museum will release a prior recording of Ashley Howard’s interview with the 1619 Freedom School, which is a Waterloo-based after-school program that provides fourth and fifth grade students with additional literary and cultural curriculum to close the academic gap among local low-income public school students.

Howard is a professor of African American history at the University of Iowa. Last year, Howard and the African American Museum of Iowa produced a series of videos about Iowa-related African American history, including her interview with the 1619 Freedom School.

Howard said this interview with the freedom school is significant in the context of Juneteenth because both are centered on the idea of emancipation.

“If there’s one idea that ties it all together, it’s the idea of freedom,” Howard said.

All events are free and open for the public to join.

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Johnson County Juneteenth celebration

Johnson County also will host a number of Juneteenth events in the days leading up to and on the holiday. All events are free and open to the public.

The series of events will kick off June 14 with the Iowa City Juneteenth Celebration at the Ped Mall. This celebration will be similar to the one in Cedar Rapids, with live music, entertainment, food and vendors.

On June 16, the Community Foundation of Johnson County will host a Juneteenth and Father’s Day picnic in Wetherby Park, 2400 Taylor Dr. In addition to the potluck-style picnic, there will be a DJ, basketball and various yard games.

On June 17, the St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Coralville will host a Juneteenth prayer service and ice cream social to reflect on the “journey toward justice, equality, and freedom for all,” the event website states.

On Juneteenth, two Iowa City-based events are planned.

The Iowa City Public Library Teen Center will host an event from 3:30 to 5 p.m. that will feature culturally significant food and music to educate local teens on the history of the holiday. Additionally, there will be trivia games with prizes.

A Juneteenth art show and auction will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Iowa City Senior Center. In addition to the art, there will be performances and food.

Juneteenth is an important holiday to participate in everywhere, not only to celebrate current accomplishments from African Americans, but also to remember the past so as not to repeat it, said LaNisha Cassell, executive director of the African American Museum of Iowa.

“I think that it is about acknowledgment, understanding and being able to not repeat many of our past atrocities,” Cassell said. “I think it's important to honor what the significance of Juneteenth is all about.”

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