Delaware has several events throughout the next two weeks to celebrate Juneteenth (Photo by rexandpan/Adobe Stock)
Throughout the state of Delaware, a number of organizations are holding events to celebrate and honor the Juneteenth holiday.
Made a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth is short for “June 19” and celebrates the day in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his officers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to free any remaining slaves.
About two months after the Civil War had ended, and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the day became a day of honor after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making it America’s 12th federal holiday.
2024 Juneteenth events
Wilmington Juneteenth Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 15. Attendees are asked to meet at Rodney Square at 1000 North Market Street, and the route is down King Street, ending at the historical Tubman-Garrett Park.
YMCA’s Juneteenth Celebrations are at all seven branches throughout Delaware. The events include food, drinks, bouncy-houses, family fun games, mindfulness and physical classes and more. Walnut Street YMCA’s is Saturday, June 15 at noon; Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA’s is Wednesday, June 19 at 3 p.m.; Middletown Family YMCA’s is Wednesday, June 19 at 11 a.m.; Brandywine YMCA’s is Wednesday, June 19 at 3 p.m.; Western Family YMCA’s is Wednesday, June 19 at 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and at 6:45 p.m.; Dover YMCA’s is Wednesday, June 19 (call location for time); and Sussex Family YMCA’s is Saturday, June 15 at 10 a.m.
Winterthur Juneteenth Celebration is Saturday, June 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities include a drum circle, African dance demonstrations, storytelling, dance jams and more.
Georgetown’s Juneteenth Event is Saturday, June 15 at the historic Richard Allen School following at 11 a.m., following the 10 a.m. Juneteenth parade which starts at 10 a.m. in downtown Georgetown. The event will include an array of Sussex County historical presentations and performances by the Nanticoke Indian Tribe.
Friends of Cooch’s Bridge Historic Site will host a Juneteenth celebration at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 16, featuring Kenneth B. Morris and Nadjah Nicole, two civil rights activists and speakers. The location is South Old Baltimore Pike in Newark, three minutes East of I-95.
The City of Lewes Juneteenth Celebration is Saturday, June 22 at 1 p.m. at the George H.P. Smith Park, located at the end of Dupont Avenue in Lewes.
Cornerstone Fellowship Baptist Church’s Juneteenth Observance is a spiritual service of remembrance with gospel music and inspirational messages. The event starts at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19. The church is located at 20 West Lea Boulevard in Wilmington.
If your group or organization is hosting a Juneteenth event that is not on this list, please contact reporter Jarek Rutz via email at [email protected] to have them added.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
