A Juneteenth/Freedom Day celebration will be held on Saturday, June 18, at Lebanon’s South Hills Park, 1100 South Lincoln Ave., hosted by the Lebanon County branch of the NAACP.
The branch received national recognition last fall to become an active and independent branch of the largest and most prominent civil rights organization in the United States.
Read More: Lebanon County NAACP chapter earns national standing as fully fledged branch
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Pavilion No. 4. In addition to spoken word performances and a community summit, the event will feature a raffle, music, food, dance, and games for kids.
Juneteeth was officially recognized as a federal holiday last year. Also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, the date celebrates when the Emancipation Proclamation was made reality in Texas after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox and Union forces subsequently arrived in Texas to inform enslaved African-Americans that the war had ended and that they were free.
“Freedom is the birthright of all Americans,” said Pastor Tony Fields, president of the Lebanon County NAACP, in a press release.
“For that reason we are delighted to extend a warm invitation to everyone in the Lebanon Valley and beyond who believes in the foundational ideals of our beloved Republic – political equality, equal justice under law, accountable government, and all the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote and the right to be free and determine your own destiny – to join us on this very special day to help us celebrate that birthright of freedom.”
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