Thursday, June 19
Lincoln Land Community College will host the third annual Freedom Walk at 8:30 a.m. The self-guided walk around the Springfield campus includes tributes to the timeline of events leading up to Juneteenth’s Freedom Day. Participants are encouraged to wear Juneteenth colors of red, green, gold or black. Afterward, enjoy a light breakfast and pick up some Juneteenth swag.
The college will also present the documentary Juneteenth: 1865-2021 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons.
The Salvation Army and Sangamon County will host the Juneteenth Youth Breakfast and Fine Arts Showcase at 10 a.m. at The Salvation Army, 1600 E. Clear Lake Ave. This dynamic morning event will begin with a community breakfast where guests will enjoy a meal with educators, community leaders and creatives. Highlights include live performances by youth artists including spoken word, dance and vocal music, a visual arts gallery showcasing original works by local young creators, inspirational speakers and recognition of outstanding youth who embody the spirit of Juneteenth. Tickets are available at juneteenthinc.org/upcomingevents.
Henson Robinson Zoo is offering free admission from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
This year’s Juneteenth holiday will wrap up with a performance at 6 p.m. on the Y Block by The Rumble during the Levitt Amp Springfield Music Series. The band with a New Orleans funk sound is fronted by Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. of the legendary Golden Eagles Indian tribe and boasts some of the next generation’s most prolific artists.
Ongoing
The Illinois State Museum hosts the fifth installation of the annual NOIR art exhibition, “NOIR V: Resilience,” which will be displayed through Sept. 2. With their artwork, curated by Austin Wells and Elijah Miller, artists “celebrate and preserve Black culture, traditions and values, fostering a sense of pride and belonging.”
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will present “The Nature of Freedom: A literary commemoration of Juneteenth.” In this readers theater piece, the actors present the script without the usual theater accoutrements and special lighting. Using only scripts and vocal expression, the actors help the audience understand and follow the story. The 35-minute act will include quotations attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Langston Hughes, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Maya Angelou, Robert Smalls, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Bibb. The performance at noon on June 19 is included with museum admission. An additional presentation at 6:30 p.m. on June 19 is free but requires an advance ticket.
Through June 26, the ALPLM will display a rare copy of the document that played a key role in the historic day of freedom on June 19, 1865 – the Emancipation Proclamation. This copy is one of about two dozen that survive and was signed by both Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward. The document can be viewed in the library from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and admission to view it is free.
This article appears in The College Crisis.
