Lexington has all kinds of activities planned to celebrate Juneteenth this year, the third year Juneteenth has officially been recognized as a national holiday.
“Thanks to members of our community, Juneteenth will be celebrated with flags, and art, and food, and singing, and much more,” Gorton said. Celebrations begin June 10, and continue through June 19, the official holiday.
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, became an official federal holiday in 2021. It is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States – the June 19 holiday honors the day all the enslaved in the U.S. were legally freed.
Juneteenth flags will adorn Main Street beginning June 13. There will also be banners along the Legacy Trail, from Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden to the North Lexington YMCA.
Events highlighting the celebration in Lexington include:
- 18th Annual Juneteenth Jubilee, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m., June 10, African Cemetery No. 2, 419 East 7th St.: Lexington’s original Juneteenth Celebration will again highlight the spirit of freedom, and honor the Civil War soldiers who fought for that freedom. Historian and Educator Dr. Alicestyne Turley will provide the keynote address, “Kentucky’s United States Colored Troops.”
- Soulteenth Fest, noon – 6 p.m., June 17, Moondance Amphitheater, 1152 Monarch St.: Celebrates black liberation and ingenuity through music, art, agriculture, and food. Speaker - Martina Barksdale
- Juneteenth Independence Day Celebration, doors open 4 p.m. / performances begin 6 p.m., June 17, Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third St.: A celebration of African-American independence and artistic expression through live performances including jazz, hip-hop, line-dancing, African drumming, spoken word, rap, violin, stepping, ballet, gospel, acting, and opera.
- Seventh Annual Juneteenth Celebration presented by U.S. Freedmen Coalition, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., June 18, Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden, 577 E. Third St.: Gospel, hip-hop, jazz, dedication of new artwork, speaker concerning saving historical black hamlets, open microphone.
- Juneteenth Freedom Day, 2 – 8 p.m., June 18, Douglass Park, 726 Georgetown St.: A community celebration sponsored by Wiseguys Barbershop and the Georgetown Neighborhood Association to bring awareness to culture, history, equality, and peace through food, music and activities for children.
- “A Sense of Place” campaign launch, 11 a.m., June 19, Cadentown Missionary Baptist Church, 2950 Cadentown Road: The committee working to remember and celebrate Lexington’s rural black hamlets will launch its campaign to continue preservation efforts, and to utilize the Cadentown property (including school, Church and cemetery) as a gathering place for historical purposes for over 20 plus hamlets.
