Remembering Juneteenth, celebrating as a community

While Monday, June 19, is the official federal holiday, Cape Girardeau will be celebrating Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17, with several events.

* Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please (SNAP) will host its sixth annual Prayer Walk Fundraiser from 9 a.m. to noon at Ivers Square. Registration includes a donation of $25.

* City of Cape Girardeau’s Juneteenth Celebration is scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. at Ivers Square. There will be children’s activities, crafts, food vendors, social service organizations, a reading by poet Ebony Stewart and musical performances by Cat Daddy’O, Pfunk Dat and Ivas John.

* The Southside Juneteenth Stronger Together celebration, hosted by Scratch Inx and Nova Fraction, is scheduled for 1 to 6 p.m. at Ranney Park in Cape Girardeau. This will include food, vendors and music.

Last year’s City of Cape Girardeau festival, coordinated by VisitCape, was a wholesome, family-friendly affair celebrating all that is good about community, and we expect a similar event this year.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal officers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure slaves would be set free. The holiday often includes celebrations of music, food, prayer and other community activities. It’s garnered additional attention in recent years, including in Cape Girardeau where events have grown in popularity.

There’s unfortunately too much division in this country today, but Juneteenth is an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to come together for a fun day and celebrate the freedom we all enjoy, even though it was not always the case for some. We hope you’ll come out and celebrate this important day in history as local organizers help promote a positive message of hope, unity and love.