Kinston's Juneteenth celebration to be held Saturday at the African American Music Trail Park
With Neuse Regional Libraries as a prime sponsor, Kinston will hold its annual Juneteenth celebration Saturday.
Juneteenth, the longest-running African American Holiday, is the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The Emancipation Proclamation had ended slavery in the United States two years earlier.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed it into law.
Kinston's 2022 Juneteenth event, Coming Together: A Community Celebration, is 4-7 p.m. Saturday at the African American Music Trail Park at the corner of Queen and Springhill streets. The program will feature local performers, artisans, businesses, an employment fair and food trucks, according to a news release from the library.
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On hand for the celebration will be longtime Juneteenth organizer Brenda Stewart, Dr. Malcolm Beech Sr., vocalists Olene Solomon and Sandra Fisher, the StageLyfe dance troupe, the Anointed All-Stars Gospel Choir, spoken word poet Ill Will and more, according to the release.
Melanie Morgan, director of libraries for Neuse Regional Libraries, said that last year’s event was the biggest ever with a turnout of around 700 people. She said there was a lot of planning that went into last year’s celebration with many different people involved. That was a 2,400% increase in attendance in 2021, and 95% reported learning something new through the Coming Together program, which featured a book learning series.
“We feel it’s going to be really well-rounded this year, and I think the community will really enjoy it,” she said.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held last year outside for the first time. Previous events were held at the Kinston-Lenoir Public Library. Neuse Regional Libraries was able to develop more activities last year since the event was held outdoors.
“We are excited to see the growth of this important program and hope the NRL can continue to build successful programs that represent our diverse community in years to come,” Morgan said by email.
Sponsors for the event include Kinston-Lenoir County Friends of the Library, the City of Kinston, Lenoir County Government, Lenoir Community College, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, the African American Museum and Cultural Center, Community Council for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council and Lenoir County Parks and Recreation.
This article originally appeared on Kinston/Jones Free Press: Juneteenth in Kinston: African American Music Trail Park to host
