How is Tacoma celebrating Juneteenth? Here are some events this Saturday
Tacomans can join people across the country this Saturday in celebrating Juneteenth.
Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States, when union troops arrived at Galveston on June 19, 1865, with news that the war had ended and that enslaved Black people were free. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South in 1863, but it was not enforced in many areas until after the end of the Civil War.
Juneteenth has been celebrated since the first annual “Jubilee Day” was organized on June 19, 1866.
President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Both Pierce County and City of Tacoma governments recognized June 19 as Juneteenth this week.
Here are the virtual and in-person events happening across Tacoma on Saturday:
- Second Annual Still We Rise Juneteenth Celebration: noon to 5 p.m. at Wright Park, 501 S. I St., Tacoma.
- Royal Masquerade Juneteenth Gala, hosted by Legally BLACK: 6:15-9 p.m. at the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave, Tacoma. General admission is $45. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
- Juneteenth Celebration at Ray Gibson’s Cabelleros Club: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., 1516 S. 28th St., Tacoma.
- Tacoma Public Library is hosting a Juneteenth Family Storytime online from 3-3:30 p.m. Saturday to read books written by Black authors. Registration is at tacomalibrary.org. Families can receive a limited edition program kit from their Tacoma Public Library branch from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with supplies needed to make their own Juneteenth sign for display.
An online celebration at 11 a.m. is being held by Black community leaders where people can hear speeches from Mayor Victoria Woodards, Rep. Melanie Morgan and learn more about first-time Black candidates running for office in Tacoma. Registration is at tinyurl.com/TacomaJuneteenth.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 2:21 PM.
