Juneteenth To Be Celebrated In Aurora With Summit, Food Distribution

AURORA, IL — Juneteenth observances in Aurora kick off with several days' worth of events leading up to and on the holiday.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Celebrations kicked off Wednesday morning as the Aurora Police Department and the Aurora African American Heritage Board unveiled a culturally custom-wrapped squad car in honor of Juneteenth. The car will visit upcoming activities throughout the city and travel on regular duty, officials said.

Other Juneteenth events in Aurora include:

• Third annual Juneteenth Food Distribution. Starting at 9 a.m. June 16 at Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, more than 100 Black fraternities and sorority members will distribute food to 1,000 families.
• 22nd annual Juneteenth Celebration. From 3-7 p.m. June 17, the African American Men of Unity will host the event featuring educational, empowering and entertaining speakers and performers, free food, children's activities, and more than 30 vendors.
• Juneteenth Youth Summit. Local youth can participate in the event from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 19 inside One Aurora Plaza, 8 E. Galena Blvd. The event will be empowering and educational, officials said, complete with sessions designed to help participants grow and develop.
• 2nd annual Juneteenth Flag Raising. Taking place at 1 p.m. outside One Aurora Plaza, 8 E. Galena Blvd., the event will feature remarks from Jaylen Smith, who, at 18, became one of the youngest Black mayors to be elected in the United States.

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in Aurora will be closed Monday.