Saturday afternoon in Aurora, the African American Men of Unity hosted its 24th annual Juneteenth celebration, a community-wide, four-hour party at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 51 N. Farnsworth Ave.
The event featured lots of music, poetry, live entertainment, food, vendors, a dance competition and a basketball tournament to help celebrate the upcoming Juneteenth holiday.
Juneteenth – officially celebrated on June 19 – commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved African Americans were freed in Texas after the end of the Civil War.
Aurora’s new communication manager Jon Zaghloul said while the city does not organize the annual celebration at the park, “it is truly an amazing event.”
“From the city’s side, we certainly appreciate the continued partnership with the African American Men of Unity. They are a phenomenal community organization that does so much for the African-American community and this event certainly commemorates a longstanding tradition in the city of bringing community together,” Zaghloul said. “This honors the history of Juneteenth, and the significance of it.”
African American Men of Unity President Ricky Rodgers spoke before the event and said after nearly a quarter of century, the gathering and the holiday it celebrates continues to take on more significance here in Aurora and around the country.
“We’ve grown exponentially. Juneteenth has become more popular since (former) President Biden in 2021 made it a federal holiday, but there are still a lot of people who are not aware of the significance and importance as to what Juneteenth actually means,” Rodgers said. “It’s about freedom and independence for African-Americans and it’s like the Fourth of July for them.”
Rodgers said the celebration in Aurora affects all races “because it’s important to share in our culture with others and be a bridge.”
He highlighted the use of poetry being offered at the event “as it talks about history, it talks about heritage, and talks about love and respect.”
“I think a lot of times because of the ignorance, people have certain assumptions of stereotypes about people, and I think coming to our event will enlighten and inform people about not just a lot of things we have accomplished as a people, but things that have benefited other ethnicities including human rights and civil rights,” he said. “We were the front-runners, and a lot of other minorities can benefit from that.”
The annual Juneteenth event in Aurora typically draws about 5,000 to 6,000 people, organizers said.
John Laesch stopped by for his first visit to the Juneteenth celebration as Aurora mayor on Saturday.
“The city supported the event and we’re cutting back all the flag-raisings that were largely attended by city employees and not the community and instead decided to support Juneteenth because we want to make sure that this event that Ricky Rodgers has been putting on for well over a decade gives people an opportunity to celebrate the end of slavery,” he said.
“Small businesses also come here and it’s like a little chamber of commerce event where people get to meet businesses they can support,” he said of the event.
Lecretia Akines of Aurora was one of the merchants who was operating a booth at Saturday’s event and said Juneteenth “is about community and culture and celebrating who we are and where we came from as people of African descent.”
“We want to share that in a positive and uplifting way,” she said. “The people you see – your neighbors, your family – so this is a beautiful event that we love coming to every year. I’ve been here three times and I love how the community continues to come out with the vendors and the performances are always positive.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.