A few events around Indianapolis will be held June 16 to celebrate a holiday that didn’t start anywhere close to Indianapolis — Juneteenth.
It is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865 Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, with news the war ended and the enslaved were now free — two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became official on Jan. 1, 1863.
To commemorate Juneteenth, the Indianapolis Public Library will host Words of Strength!: A Juneteenth Celebration at its downtown Central location. The event features author C.V. Rhodes as a keynote speaker along with fellow author Valarie J. Lewis Coleman, who will host a writer’s workshop. The event also includes a book club conference, activities for children, local vendors and food trucks.
“The Juneteenth celebration that we are hosting is important for our community because not everyone is aware of the importance,” Kimberly Crowder, Indianapolis Public Library communications director, said. “Our goal for the event is to make people aware of Juneteenth while also empowering them with speakers and workshops that help them enrich their dreams.”
In addition, the holiday celebration allows people to see what Central library has to offer, Crowder added.
Along with the library, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art will feature Juneteenth activities throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m. The museum will show a reenactment of Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, a live choir performance and a drum ensemble on their performance stage. In addition, The Freetown Village Singers will perform. Eiteljorg also will show the films “The Bronze Buckaroo,” “Sergeant Rutledge,” and “Buck and the Preacher.”
“This has become a really fun, engaging community event,” museum communications director Bert Beiswanger said. “We draw people who have been to the museum many times, as well as many folks who have never experienced our museum. That’s the goal — engage the community with meaningful programming and exhibits that encourage people to visit for the first time, but also to keep coming back over and over.”
For more information on the events you can visit indypl.org for more details for the library’s event and eiteljorg.org for the museum details.
Contact staff writer Dontre Graves at 317-762-7848. Follow him on Twitter @DontreGraves
