Chicago Heights Park District To Host Juneteenth Celebration

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — The Chicago Heights Park District is hosting a Juneteenth celebration next month, officials said.

The event will take place June 19, Father's Day, at Smith Park from 1 - 7 p.m.

Juneteenth, the celebration of the emancipation of those who were enslaved in the U.S., was declared an official state holiday in Illinois in June.

The Smith Park celebration will include music, dancing, games and vendors. Those interested in attending the free event are advised to bring a lawn chair.

Each June 19, state buildings will lower flags to half-staff and a flag in honor of the holiday will fly in the Capitol Building.

The day has been celebrated as the commemoration of the end of slavery among people of color. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved people were freed in Galveston, Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

"Just as Illinois led the nation as the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, in 2021, we are leading the nation in tackling structural racism head on thanks to the guiding vision of Leader Lightford, Representative Ford, Speaker Welch and the entire Illinois Legislative Black Caucus," said Pritzker last year before signing the bill at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

With the announcement, Illinois became the 47th state to recognize the day.

Juneteenth — also called National Freedom Day — is a paid holiday for state workers and public education professionals only when June 19 falls on a weekday. Since June 19 is a Sunday, the first paid state holiday will be in 2023.