Education and community development are longstanding priorities for organizers of this year’s expanded Juneteenth Day celebration.
“Galveston is the home of Juneteenth, but Springfield is the home of Lincoln. This is why we want to make (this year’s) celebration big,” said Shymeka Kerr-Gregory, who serves as co-director of Juneteenth, Inc., which organizes Springfield’s Juneteenth Day celebrations.
The kick-off event was held Wednesday, June 14, at Lincoln Library with an outdoor talent showcase featuring historical facts from the library’s Sangamon Valley Collection.
Kerr-Gregory and fellow co-director Cherena Douglass curated a Juneteenth Day timeline, sponsored by the Illinois State Museum, that chronicles the history and progression of Juneteenth Day, beginning with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the General Orders No. 3 given at Gavelston,Texas, in 1865. One of the most interesting points in the General Order at Galveston is that African Americans were encouraged to stay on their former master’s land and work for wages.
Kathryn Harris, interim director of Lincoln Library, who also contributed information for the timeline, highlighted the importance of knowing the document in its entirety.
Juneteenth Day became a city, state and national holiday in June 2021. The city of Springfield has helped fund the annual celebration for the past several years, increasing support from $10,000 to $25,000 beginning in 2019.
“As we look to the future, we believe that Juneteenth should be a time for our community to come together, learn from our past and to build on a greater future for generations to come. The city of Springfield has committed to expanding and enhancing the education and celebrations surrounding Juneteenth in Springfield,” said Haley Wilson, the city’s communications director. “Springfield is a city that is rich in African American history. We must continue to expand this knowledge as a means to create a diverse and equitable city.”
Mayor Misty Buscher is planning to take part in the Juneteenth parade on Saturday, which begins at 10 a.m. at Brown Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, then heads north to Comer Cox Park, where a full day of activities are planned.
Next year’s 30th anniversary is already in the works and organizers are planning to add a national act to the roster and continue to bring awareness of the historic significance of the holiday.
Artist and activist Raaw’El Letrice Ware, grew up celebrating Juneteenth Day in Springfield. Ware performed poetry at the Lincoln Library talent show and will be selling art, jewelry and books at Comer Cox Park during the celebration on June 17-18.
“I just hope that people patronize the vendors to sow back into the community and understand the value of Black economics – to keep the dollars in the community,” said Ware.
Ward 2 Alderman Shawn Gregory was the former director of the annual Juneteenth celebration, working with Michael Williams at One in a Million Inc, the original organizer of the event.
“Juneteenth Day completes the full circle of freedom,” said Gregory. “As we continue to recognize the struggles, triumphs and contributions of Black people in this country and repair the damage that slavery has done and all of the barriers that have been put in place by racism and hate over the years, I hope that Juneteenth helps us break down those walls.”
After winning his aldermanic seat in 2019, Gregory handed over the baton to Kerr-Gregory.
In keeping with the spirit of Juneteenth Day, Gregory points out the political and economic progress being made in Springfield. “There has never before been a time when there’s been nine Black elected officials,” said Gregory, noting that in addition to three Black city council members, there are three Black county board members, a Capitol Township trustee, a District 186 school board member and Senator Doris Turner.
“We’re working on housing and attacking the disparities in home ownership and income. We want to close those gaps, and the only way we do that is by putting workforce development programs within our communities,” said Gregory.
Those disparities, according to Gregory, translate into an average median income of $25,000 for African Americans in the most impoverished areas in Springfield, compared to $65,000 for whites. This gap is one of the highest in the country. One of the ways to address this economic divide is to create more tourism on the east side of Springfield and Gregory said he hopes to incorporate the new transit and rail system renovations.
“If we’re able to drag not only tourism, but new business, across the tracks so we can have a healthy community, then many of the problems and challenges that this city faces will soon become a lot easier to deal with because we have more people thriving,” said Gregory.
Jacqualine Simone Jarju is a freelance journalist completing her M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting at University of Illinois Springfield. She is a member of the Downtown Springfield Rotary Club and the National Association of Black Journalists.
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This article appears in Juneteenth 2023.
Great Article. Thank you for this timely timeless story.
We have come far… and yet we still have so far to go.
~Raaw’El