There was a little heat and a little wind, mixed with a lot of sunshine and a lot of community spirit at the City Lights Stage in downtown Salina Saturday afternoon. Citizens gathered for a citywide Juneteenth celebration.
The event included multiple vendor booths and exhibits, food, and a variety of entertainment on stage. Entertainment included dancers, poet/drummer Dr. Daisy Kabagarama, local R&B/Soul artist Jon’nea Soul, and the smooth sound of Joseph Alan Fears and his band Zafaja.
A group of students were also recognized with scholarships at the event Juneteenth Scholarship Winners include:
- Christopher Amoako Ababio
- Kasheia Peterson
- Zariyana Cathey
The purpose of the Salina Juneteenth Celebration in Salina is to promote the elimination of racism and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on June 19th in the United States to commemorate the ending of slavery. It marks the day in 1865 when word reached African Americans in Texas that slavery in the United States had been abolished. More than two years earlier, on New Year’s Day, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Delivered during the American Civil War, this proclamation ordered the freeing of all slaves in states that were rebelling against Union forces.
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Photo: Poet/drummer Dr. Daisy Kabagarama invited children onto stage to play the drums with her.
