As Juneteenth approaches, a local nonprofit wants the holiday to be about celebrating the liberation of enslaved Black people and uplifting Chicago’s underserved youth on the South and West sides. The holiday marks a historic moment from 159 years ago and will be officially celebrated in Cook County for the fourth time on June 19. Juneteenth, a portmanteau of June and 19, honors the day when the last enslaved African Americans learned they had been freed — two years after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation.
State and county politicians and local leaders kicked off Juneteenth celebrations on Monday at Malcolm X College. “If you understand what Juneteenth is really about, you know that Juneteenth is about freedom,” said Barbara Deer, executive director of Juneteenth Illinois, a nonprofit that commemorates the holiday and publicizes celebrations across the state. The organization also awards scholarships to college freshmen from the South and West sides.
Deer’s husband is Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer, who led the push to make Juneteenth a holiday. The day was officially made a in 2020. and followed suit and made Juneteenth a paid holiday for city and state employees in June 2021.
In April, the Cook County Board of Commissioners declaring the entire month of June a celebration of Juneteenth. “Juneteenth represents a bridge,” Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry told the crowd on Monday. “It’s a bridge between our past, it’s a bridge which bind.