Juneteenth events continue Monday in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The City of Columbia will continue to hold Juneteenth events Monday and throughout the week to honor the holiday.
Monday at Douglass Park, there will be a Community Fun and Fellowship event from 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
In 1979, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday. Fast forward to 2021, Juneteenth became a national holiday after President Biden made it official.
Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and marks the day troops marched into Galveston, Texas in 1865 to ensure all enslaved people were freed.
The event happen two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which said all enslaved people in confederate states shall be free.
As slavery continued in Texas, General Gordon Granger's arrival signaled freedom to over 200,000 slaves.
The City of Columbia closed the Juneteenth weekend with the Missouri Symphony holding its third annual Juneteenth celebration at the Missouri Theatre in downtown Columbia.
According to the Missouri Symphony's website, the event included a range of orchestral and choral music selections.
There will be more Juneteenth events taking place on Wednesday.
Monday, June 19 Events :
The Village of Columbia Juneteenth Celebration at Cosmo Park from 12:00 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 21 Events:
Columbia Parks and Recreation's Family Fun Fest: Juneteenth Jamboree at Cosmo Park from 6:00 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Juneteenth PBS Short Film Screening, "Juneteenth Sesquicentennial," at the Armory from 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
City offices including Columbia, Jefferson City, Hallsville, Cole, and Boone County will also be closed for Juneteenth.
