This year, Louisville’s Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration will offer events commemorating the holiday from June 11-19.
On Thursday, the city of Louisville announced what will happen at the annual celebration, which is decided by a 16-member Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration Commission, which consists of members of Metro Council, the business community, as well as arts, educational and faith organizations.
Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19, commemorates the final communication of the abolition of slavery in the United States: On June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, when union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and residents were informed that slavery had been abolished.
Louisville’s Juneteenth Jubilee was first held in 2019. In 2020, Mayor Greg Fischer signed an executive order making Juneteenth an official holiday in Louisville. President Joe Biden made it a federal holiday last year. In February of this year, a Metro Council ordinance was signed to establish the Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration Commission.
“Our dedicated commissioners and community partners have been tirelessly working on providing educational and creative outlets to honor the importance of Juneteenth,” Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement.
Here is a list of the events:
June 11: First Tee Louisville’s 22nd annual George “GG” Johnson Golf Scramble, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shawnee Golf Course Lunch will begin at 11 a.m. with raffle prizes to win. The four-person scramble (three adults and one first tee participant) will tee off at 1 p.m. Register at firstteelouisville.org or contact [email protected].
June 13-June 17: Juneteenth Camp, Louisville Visual Art and Waterfront Park, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Louisville Visual Art and Waterfront Park are hosting a day camp for youth ages 7-12. Campers will be introduced to the works and history of Ed Hamilton, Muhammad Ali, the Underground Railroad and more. Then, will create their own artworks to express themselves and their newfound knowledge. In the afternoons, campers will explore Waterfront Park for fun camp activities. Limited to 10 students.
June 13-14: WAVE Country with Dawne Gee, 2 p.m. WAVE-TV anchor and reporter Dawne Gee will discuss Juneteenth highlights and moderate panel discussions.
June 14: Lean Into Louisville, Redistricting Panel Discussion, 6:30 p.m. A diverse panel will address and examine why redistricting happens, who it helps, harms and short-term /long-term implications. MetroTV and Lean Into Louisville will livestream the event on social media.
June 15: Lean Into Louisville, Presentation: The Kentucky African American Civil War Soldiers Project, First Gethsemane Baptist Church, 12 p.m. The Kentucky African American Civil War Soldiers Project seeks to uncover archival documents about the lives of these soldiers and their family members, and use them as the basis for constructing family trees going as far backward and forward as possible. Dan Gediman and Denyce Peyton will share stories and photographs about selected soldiers from Louisville, as well as discuss their newly created searchable online database.
June 16: The Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission Celebrates 60th Anniversary/Juneteenth Luncheon, Kentucky Center for African American Heritage Center, 11 a.m. The luncheon will celebrate HRC’s achievements in safeguarding all individuals within Jefferson County from all forms of discrimination. The Mayor will speak, along with keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Daniel Corrie Shull, senior pastor of Burnett Avenue Baptist Church. The cost to attend will be $25 per person.
June 16: Miss Juneteenth Pageant, Fourth Street Live, 1 to 5 p.m. WLLV and WLOU will host the inaugural Miss Juneteenth Pageant at Fourth Street Live. The inaugural pageant will feature 30 contestants. The Mayor is expected to crown the winners.
June 17: Agape Day, Dare to Care & National Panhellenic Council Louisville, 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Local Divine 9 Black Greek fraternities and sororities will partner with Dare to Care to deliver food to communities.
June 17: Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration: Our Story, America’s Glory Inaugural Gala, The Muhammad Ali Center, 6 p.m. The red-carpet gala will feature dinner, spoken word by Hannah Drake and special performances by the Dr. Jerry Tolson Orchestra, Syreeta Thompson “Trumpet Lady” and Atone featuring Donna. WAVE3’s Dawne Gee, a Juneteenth Jubilee commissioner, will emcee the event. Tickets can be purchased for $150 at juneteenthlou.com or for more information, email [email protected].
June 18: “Race for Justice” by Future Ancestors, Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center, 8 a.m. Participants will honor Breonna Taylor by running or walking 26 laps as team, one for every year she was alive, or by walking/running a 1.3-mile individual race.
June 18: Juneteenth Youth Jamboree, Berrytown Park, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reviving Urban Neighborhoods (R.U.N.), Inc. will host a fun-filled family event where youth can win prizes by demonstrating their knowledge of Juneteenth facts.
June 19: Presbyterian Church USA, online service, 11 a.m. The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be preaching at the service. The service can be viewed by visiting: https://ga-pcusa.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/spiritofga.
For more information about the Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration, please visit juneteenthlou.com.
