A Week Of Juneteenth Celebrations Planned In Aurora: See What's Coming Up

AURORA, IL — Juneteenth observances in Aurora will start a week before the official holiday, beginning with the coronation of Mr. and Miss Black Aurora.

The Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board will launch Juneteenth Week with the regal event at 6 p.m. Thursday in Crimi Auditorium at Aurora University, 1347 Prairie St.

Four students from Aurora will be crowned king, queen, prince and princess:

• Zyon Askew-Ward, a senior at Metea Valley High School
• James Baker, a senior at Aurora Christian School
  
• Mbayie Tendong, a junior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
• Chantz Trotter, a senior at West Aurora High School

To make the Royal Court, contestants presented during an oral competition focused on the topic of freedom of speech in contemporary times and went through a round of interviews with judges. City officials said the ceremony celebrates not only their accomplishments thus far in the process, but also their readiness to rise in purpose and power.

Juneteenth will be further celebrated on Saturday when the African American Men of Unity hosts its 24th annual celebration. Music, poetry, live entertainment, food, vendors, a dance competition and a basketball tournament are just a few of the activities planned from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 51 N. Farnsworth Ave.

The Thursday, June 19, federal holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free. It was more than two months after the end of the Civil War, and about 2.5 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the on United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Some towns and cities are scaling back Juneteenth celebrations — or canceling them altogether — due to concerns about violating the Trump administration’s executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Trump’s executive orders don’t cancel the federal holiday — Congress created it and only Congress can repeal it — but civil rights groups contend the DEI bans are having a chilling effect on Juneteenth. They argue the bans undermine the principles of equality and equal opportunity that Juneteenth represents.

Organizers of some events across the country say they’re having trouble landing their usual corporate sponsorships from businesses and organizations working to comply with DEI executive orders. Many of these companies have contracts directly with the government or receive indirect federal funding through contracts with nonprofits that provide services, such as workplace diversity training. Or, they may simply have shifted priorities due to the politics of DEI.

• Related: How DEI Bans Are Affecting 2025 Juneteenth Celebrations

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in Aurora will be closed. Garbage and recycling pickup in Aurora will not be affected.