COLUMBUS, Ind. – The NAACP of Bartholomew County and the City of Columbus are co-hosting the annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 19, from 2 to 9 p.m., on Fourth Street in downtown Columbus. Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the U.S.
The Columbus Juneteenth celebration is the first in the newly formed Ethnic Expo Event Series taking place downtown this summer and fall. The NAACP of Bartholomew County has hosted Juneteenth in Columbus in the past, but this year, a new partnership was formed with the Columbus Area Visitors Center and the City of Columbus to help bring more awareness to the event.
Juneteenth, open to all ages and cultures, includes food, games, vendor booths, live music, and more.
“This year marks 156 years since the initial Juneteenth,” says Johnnie Edwards, President of NAACP of Bartholomew County. “It’s been more than a century since enslaved people were liberated, yet Black Americans are still not given the same freedoms awarded to other races. More work is to be done.”
For more information about Juneteenth, visit the NAACP of Bartholomew County Facebook page.
