

The Rev. Tremaine Combs speaks at a 2020 Juneteenth observance at the Lincoln Indian Center.
Interesting Facts About Juneteenth. Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, marks the day General Gordon Granger announced to slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they were free. Here are some things to know about the historic event. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, two and a half years prior to Granger’s announcement, but slaves in Texas were not aware that they were free. The migration of freedpeople to northern regions or to track down family members became known as “the scatter.”. Juneteenth is still not a federal holiday, though most states recognize it as a national holiday. The Juneteenth flag is full of symbolism, with the bursting “new star” representing a new freedom and a new people
The Malone Center and Lincoln Parks and Recreation will hold Juneteenth celebrations at Trago Park and the F Street Community Center later this month.
The Malone Center will host an event from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Trago Park, and F Street will host an event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 26.
Speakers including City Councilwoman Sändra Washington and former LPD officers Chassidy Jackson-Goodwin and Genelle Moore will discuss the importance of the celebration, which commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the United States.
The events will also feature Black businesses, free haircuts, food and other giveaways and more.
Top Journal Star photos for June
Top Journal Star photos for June
Fans hold their gloves in the air hoping to get a foul ball at a Saltdogs game on Thursday, June 10, 2021, at Haymarket Park. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Jane Wiederspan holds Bunnie, age 10, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, at the First-Plymouth Congregational Church. Bunnie is a rescue dog who has no eyelids which required her to wear sunglasses. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Saltdogs’ pitcher Greg Minier (44) throws a pitch on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Haymarket Park. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
The drummer plays with Jamey Johnson plays on Friday, June 11, 2021, at Pinewood Bowl. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Saltdogs’ Justin Byrd (21) falls into the bullpen after catching a ball hit by Kane County’s Brandon Chinea in the third inning on Friday, June 11, 2021, at Haymarket Park. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
The crowd reacts as Whiskey Myers third song ends on Friday, June 11, 2021, at Pinewood Bowl. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
An Amtrak On Board Services team member looks out the window as the train pulls out of the station on Friday, June 11, 2021, at Lincoln Station. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
People sleep in the Amtrak station waiting for the California Zephyr train, which arrived 1:55 late on Friday, June 11, 2021, at Lincoln Station. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Middle school age campers work together to get their blindfolded fellow campers across an obstacle during a cooperative activity at Carol Joy Holling Camp on Thursday, June 10, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Fourteen new Lincoln Police Department officers were sworn in during a ceremony in front of their family and friends on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in the Lincoln North Star High School auditorium. The recruits will hit the streets with their first field training assignments on Thursday. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
L – R) Charlie Troxel, Amy Struthers and Ramona Meester follow Aging Partners community health educator Tracie Foreman in Quigong exercises as part of a free drop-in 1-hour circuit training class in the FitLot, part of a partnership between Aging Partners and Lincoln Parks and Recreation, on Friday, June 4, 2021, in Woods Park. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
A koi fish searches for snacks among the water lilies in the Sunken Gardens on Thursday, June 3, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
North’s Trevor Marshal (14) catches a pass before running it into the end zone as a penalty is called on the play in the Shrine Bowl on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at the Ron & Carol Cope Stadium in Kearney. EAKIN HOWARD, Lincoln Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Nebraska’s Head Coach Scott Frost talks to the athletes who attended the Friday Night Lights camp on Friday, June 4, 2021, at the Memorial Stadium. EAKIN HOWARD, Lincoln Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Tony White, a civilian navigation instruction and a retired Air Force Lt. Col. who has worked with the Open Skies program since 2006, sits at the cockpit at the final OC-135B Open Skies aircraft, Friday, June 4, 2021, at Lincoln Airport. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Lincoln Fire and Rescue recruit Brian Sydik helps Alliance wrestling team member Jackson Bailey put on the SCBA tank on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at LFR’s training facility. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Ed Love, director of Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, conducts the band on the first show of Jazz in June on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at Sheldon Sculpture Garden. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
The crowd cheers for Nebraska Jazz Orchestra on the first show of Jazz in June on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at Sheldon Sculpture Garden. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
Josh Whitfield (L) scoops up dog poop with help from Kathy Rohwedder as the pair’s dogs take advantage of the neighbor’s adjoining backyard on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for June
An attendee throws a pass during the Friday Night Lights camp on Friday, June 4, 2021, at the Memorial Stadium. EAKIN HOWARD, Lincoln Journal Star
Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or nmcconnell@journalstar.com.