A Juneteenth celebration, sponsored by Mount Calvary Church of God in Christ in Macomb, will be held from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, June 18 at 1500 E. Pierce St. in Macomb. Western Illinois University President Guiyou Huang, along with Macomb Police Chief Jerel Jones, Mayor Mike Inman, Rep. Norine Hammond, 17th Dist. State Central Committeewomen Candidate Pam Davidson and 15th Dist. State Central Committeewoman Candidate Katherine Daniels will speak during the program.

The event will feature something for everyone: free food samples, children's games, raffles and giveaways, vendor and information tables and more. The program will begin at 12:50 p.m. and will feature speakers, poetry readings, Juneteenth history, gospel and praise singing and dancing and music. Free youth haircuts will be provided by APlusCutz and Sag Cutz from 9 a.m.-noon.

Readings will be given by Roman Gosa, Genesis Gosa, Daris Gosa and Tammie L. Brown. Performances will be given by Na'Leigha Mitchell (tumbling), Nia Huston (poetry), Travaughn Miller (poetry), the New Vision Gospel Choir and New Vision Praise Dancers.

"We invite everyone from the Macomb community and surrounding region to join us as we celebrate Juneteenth," said Event Co-Chair Belinda Carr. "We look forward to this event and celebrating this most important holiday."

This year marks the first year of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States, also marks the emancipation of African American slaves throughout the Confederate South. On June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free.

The first Juneteenth celebration in Macomb began in 2002, under the leadership of Earl Bracey, Belinda Carr, Tammie Leigh Brown-Edwards and Byron Oden-Shabazz.

For more information about the 2022 celebration, contact Belinda Carr at (309) 255-6061.