First communitywide Juneteenth event occurring in Cape during weekend

The celebration of Juneteenth and the significance of the day will be recognized from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Ivers Square located next to Cape Girardeau City Hall at 44 N. Lorimier St. The event is called Juneteenth: Doin' it Together.

The City of Cape Girardeau will provide entertainment including musical performances, food trucks, informational booths, vendors, games, prizes and entertainment for children provided by Discovery Playhouse. Musical performances and spoken word entertainment include Ebony Stewart, The J Sound, Ernest James Zydeco, Talichia Taniece and Tamika Green.

From a previous article, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau Brenda Newbern said the event will celebrate the end of slavery and be used to bring the community together.

"What better way to do what we do as a tourism organization, than to welcome all people and allow them to have a wonderful experience while they are doing it together in a Juneteenth celebration," Newbern said. "We want to celebrate humanity for humankind and unity."

The holiday has been celebrated since 1866 and was named a federal holiday after President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in 2021. The holiday marks the end of slavery in Texas and the Civil War coming to an end after the soldiers in the Union Army invaded Texas, the last remaining Confederate State in the United States.

The City of Cape Girardeau's Juneteenth event is funded by a grant from the Missouri Department of Tourism totaling $25,000 and is a portion of the $300,000 the State of Missouri has allocated for Juneteenth events in 2022.

For more information on Visit Cape Juneteenth: Doin' it Together, go to www.visitcape.com.

Other events

Shawnee Community College is recognizing Juneteenth by decorating the Ullin, Illinois, campus and featuring a Powerpoint presentation in the school's Common Area. Southern Illinois University professor of African Studies Joseph Smith will host a lunchtime program via Zoom at 11:30 a.m. Monday. Educational Testing Academic specialist James Walton said staff, students and the community will benefit from the college's celebration.

"We look forward to celebrating Juneteenth over the week here at Shawnee Community College. Our guest speaker, Dr. Joseph Smith, will wrap up the celebration with an informative look into the significance of Juneteenth," Walton said.

The State Historical Society of Missouri has published a digital interactive map on its website titled "Emancipation Day in the Missouri Ozarks."

"[The map] takes viewers on a trip through counties that dot the Missouri Ozarks, while detailing the origins and history of the emancipation and the celebrations of Black Missourians after their fight for freedom," according to the news release.The interactive map can be viewed at www.shsmo.org.