The Clinton Martin Luther King. Jr. Committee is pleased to announce the annual Juneteenth Celebration on Sunday, June 19 from 12 - 3 p.m. at the Clinton Bandshell in Riverfront Park. Admission is free and all are welcome to partake in the family-friendly festivities which will include free food, music, and children’s activities. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place at the Joe O’Donnell Sports Center at 585 South 8th Avenue.
Attendees are advised to bring lawn chairs to enjoy a formal program which will take place from 1 - 1:45 p.m. The program will begin with an invocation from the Rev. Dr. Nathanael Johnson, Sr. Music will be provided by Manuel James and the Second Missionary Baptist Church Praise Team. The keynote speaker will be Dr. William Woods. Dr. Woods is currently the Lead Faculty of the University of Arizona Global Campus. He was awarded the 2018 Peace and Justice Award in 2018 and the City of Clinton Human Rights Award in 2012.
Children are invited to participate in activities such as an obstacle course, arm painting, kids’ yoga, a boxing demonstration, a “Touch a Truck” display, and assorted games. There will also be a station for kids to get fingerprinted for personal ID cards. These activities will be available before and after the formal program.
Sponsors of the event include McDonald's, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, Fareway Foods, Stubblefield Sound Systems and Grill, Clinton Walmart, NelsonCorp Wealth Management, ACE Hardware Clinton, and Clinton Community College Barnes & Noble Bookstore.
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troop’s arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday. The official Federal Holiday is June 19th. This year Clinton, Iowa will be celebrating on Sunday, June 19, 2022, however, the Federal Holiday will be observed on Monday, June 20, 2022.
The Martin Luther King, Jr Committee is a collaboration of local entities promoting peace in the community including the YWCA Racial Justice Hallmark Team, the Clinton Human Rights Commission, Sisters of St. Francis, the Discovery Center, Clinton Peace Coalition, Clinton Community College Diversity Team, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton, Clinton Public Library, and Clinton First Responders (Clinton County Sheriff Department, Clinton Fire Department, and Clinton Police Department).
For more information about the Juneteenth event, please contact Mardell Mommsen Flippen at 563-244-7006 or mmommsen@eicc.edu.