A celebration of African American culture and history will be held downtown next month.
The city of Grand Rapids and the Justice 4 All LLC apparel company will co-host the second annual Justice 4 All Juneteenth Jam from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at Rosa Parks Circle, 135 Monroe Center St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids.
Last year’s inaugural event took place at Ah-Nab-Awen Park.
The event is a celebration of African American culture, history, art and entertainment in observance of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day or Emancipation Day.
“This holiday celebrates the emancipation of the African Americans citizens who had been enslaved in the United States of America. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free,” the organizers wrote on the Facebook event page.
“The Justice 4 All Juneteenth Jam is a direct result of our mission to challenge and disrupt America’s post-racial fallacy by stimulating constructive, actionable and necessary dialogue through community engagement.”
The event is free and open to the public and will include live performances by local artists and DJs, speeches from community leaders, Black-owned food and business vendors, a graffiti art showcase, games for children, and information tables.
Registration, which gets attendees entered into a drawing for prizes, is available here.
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