The City of West Des Moines invites everyone to join us for our first Juneteenth Jubilee on Saturday, June 11, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Jamie Hurd Amphitheater by the City Hall pond, 4100 Mills Civic Parkway. The event is being held on June 11 so that it does not conflict with other Juneteenth events in the metro.
The Jubilee will feature performances by Billy Weathers & Hip-Hope Inc., prizes, free face painting, and food truck vendors. A panel discussion about the “State of Black Affairs – 157 Years Later” also will be held at 5:45 p.m. Members of the panel include:
- Joshua V. Barr, Esq; Chief Strategist, Raising the Barr, LLC
- Lonnie Dafney; Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Federal Reserve Financial Services
- Anthony Ferguson, Jr., Ed.D.; Executive Director of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, West Des Moines Community Schools
- WDM City Councilwoman Renee Hardman; liaison to the WDM Human Rights Commission
- Nalo Johnson, Ph.D.; President and CEO of the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
- Panel Moderator: Al Womble; Chair of the Iowa Democratic Black Caucus
West Des Moines Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Audrey Kennis said Juneteenth is a day of historical significance for all people who live in the United States.
“This day marks the moment when the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were able to embody the words of freedom and break our yoke of slavery,” she said. “It is a time for us all to commemorate and celebrate our shared progress while confronting our complicated history. Juneteenth is a chance for us all to stand together and celebrate our collective freedom.”
Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held at the Valley Junction Activity Center, 217 5th Street, West Des Moines.
For more information about events in the Greater Des Moines Area, visit www.iowajuneteenth.org/events.
June 19th was established as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a federal holiday, by President Joe Biden in June 2021. The holiday will be observed on Monday, June 20, 2022. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery for the last slaves in Texas, nearly two years after Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
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