Juneteenth celebration in local Snohomish County communities will be a festival of rich virtual and in-person activities commencing June 12 through June 25, a Juneteenth Committee of Community Organizations announced today.
“We hope this will be an emerging tradition for our neighborhoods and communities throughout our county,” said Donnie Griffin, a committee member and founder of the Lift Every Voice Legacy (LEVL) inEdmonds.
Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the Confederacy some two-and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, according to the to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. However, not all Black people were immediately free in Texas, as the state was still under Confederate control at the time of the signing. On June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth), about 2,000 Union troops marched into Texas, officially liberating all Black people from slavery.
Some of the festivities include: Black History in Snohomish County on June 14, sponsored by The Black Heritage Committee; New Leaders, New Table on June 15, sponsored by Snohomish County's first African American-centered political action committee, SEPAC; Black Panel Discussion on June 18, sponsored by the NAACP; Juneteenth History Storytelling by Eva Abrams on June 19, sponsored by LEVL and live-stream Church Sermon by the Jubilee Church of God in Christ on Sunday, June 20.
“Although the Snohomish County NAACP and other community organizations have been celebrating Juneteenth in local areas for some time now, we have come together as a Juneteenth Committee to weave all of our activities and festivities in a single mosaic of colorful celebrations throughout the county. This is particularly significant since June 19 has become an official, paid holiday for all state employees in Washington beginning 2022,” Griffin added.
The committee participants include DanVonique Reed, Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee (Everett); Louis Harris, NAACP of Snohomish County (Everett/Mukilteo); Jacque Julien, Communities of Color Coalition, (Edmonds/Everett); Donnie Griffin, LEVL (Edmonds); Courtney Wooten, Suburbia Rising (Edmonds) and Project Director Arwen Valdez.
Community Transit is the Committee’s Foundation Builder sponsor for Juneteenth/Snohomish County 2021.
The Lift Every Voice Legacy – Inspiring a Beloved Community