Over 5,000 Attendees Anticipated At Juneteenth Family Festival Of Beverly/Morgan Park

CHICAGO — Over 5,000 attendees are expected at the Juneteenth Family Festival of Beverly/Morgan Park this Saturday, June 20 at 110th Street and Longwood Avenue in Chicago.

With June 19 formally declared a federal holiday in 2021 marking the end of slavery as a national holiday, a free, family-friendly celebration of Juneteenth will take place in Chicago’s historic Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood at 110th Street and Longwood Avenue.

The Juneteenth Family Festival showcasing Black culture and Black-owned businesses runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket, and enjoy the day's festivities with the family.

“The festival aims to honor our ancestors, celebrate African and African-American cultural heritage, unite our diverse community, and connect Chicago residents with resources and services," the organizers said.

In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved Black Americans of the Confederate States. However, it took a long time for word to travel across the country and slavery continued in many places as a result. As states received the word, the residing slaves were freed. Texas, the most western state of the Confederacy, was the last state to receive word. On June 19, 1865, troops marched into Galveston, Texas and announced that enslaved people were free.

The event is presented by the Juneteenth Family Festival of Beverly/Morgan Park in collaboration with the 19th Ward Youth Foundation, Morgan Park Beverly Hills Business Associations, Beverly Arts Center, ADA Park Advisory Council, Morgan Park Presbyterian Church and the Morgan Park United Methodist Church.

The local festivities provide an opportunity to reflect on history, celebrate as a community, support local businesses, learn more about health and wellness and just have fun.

Festival activities acknowledge and celebrate this critical moment in African American history while educating the community at large. Among festival offerings are African-inspired storytelling, drumming circles where kids and adults can learn to play the djembe, West African dance lessons, children’s activities, educational workshops, vendors and much more.

The Juneteenth family festival is organized by founder Shanya Gray, who serves on the boards of the Diversity Collaborative and All Day Montessori School, and Jurema Gorham, owner of Burst Into Books.

“Too often, we think of history as a memorization of facts in school,” Gorham said. “But we create our own history every day, in the present. Celebrating our unique story and building on it is a strength.”

Visit Beverly/Morgan Park Juneteenth Family Festival for a complete schedule of the day’s events. Send questions and suggestions to juneteenthff@gmail.com.