The commemoration included events across the\u00a0Des Moines metro, drawing thousands of attendees to celebrate and recognize the place of Juneteenth plays.
Iowans were celebrating Juneteenth across the state in the days leading up to the federal holiday — taking stock of the importance of Black history and freedom. The commemoration included events across the Des Moines metro on Saturday and Sunday, drawing thousands of attendees.
„It’s something I’ve been doing since I’ve doing every year since I was really young. I’m bringing my kids now“, said Iowan Johnneisha Long while attending a Juneteenth event in Des Moines. „To me it’s something important to celebrate and to know our history and where we came from.“
Juneteenth commemorates the freeing of slaves in Texas, in June 1865 — more than two years after the federal Emancipation Proclamation and well after the end of the Civil War. This year marks the second year of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Iowa, like some other states, recognized Juneteenth as a holiday before then. In 2002, then-Gov. Tom Vilsack signed legislation designating the third Saturday of June as Juneteenth.
„In my opinion, Juneteenth is all about freedom and reclamation of bodily and emotional autonomy“, said Jalesha Johnson, an organizer from Des Moines Black Liberation Movement, while attending the “Pride & Soul” event in Des Moines. On Saturday, the area around downtown Des Moines‘ Western Gateway Park closed to celebrate Juneteenth with „Neighbors Day.“ The streets were filled with vendors and advocacy groups while performances were held on a nearby stage.
„Juneteenth means to me an opportunity to educate people about our past in America. Today, it gives us a chance to reach out to generations to talk about the shoulders we stand on and why it’s important to celebrate“, said state Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, a Des Moines Democrat. „If we don’t, we will lose. We will lose the diversity — the meaning of it.
