NAACP to commemorate Juneteenth in Springfield with Black excellence awards
The Springfield branch of the NAACP will kick off Juneteenth celebrations on Saturday, and continue through Sunday.
"Lifting As We Climb" on Saturday will include food, music, vendors and activities at Silver Springs Park, 1100 N. Hampton Ave. The NAACP will also honor and celebrate local Black excellence by issuing a series of awards. The award recipients include Dr. Angela Holloway-Payne, Dr. Yvania Garcia-Pusateri, Cecily Woodard, Marlon Re'Sean Graves, Tony Gunn Jr., KeKe Rover, Jonathan Bell, Natasha Lancaster, Darline Mabins and Dr. Ashley Payne.
At 2 p.m., there will be a Timmons Hall Meet and Greet Living History event, which will include storytelling and hands-on activities led by Timmons Hall Education Coordinator Christine Peoples.
"We must affirm the endurance, resilience, ingenuity and strength of people," Peoples said in a press release. "We must honor the 4 million enslaved immigrants and their decedents that died, built, stretched, and bent themselves working towards the promise of America’s democracy for the next generations to come. Please join us for this powerful holiday."
On Sunday, celebrations will continue with Timmons Hall Fathers and Mentors Day at Timmons Hall in Silver Springs Park. There will also be showings of the 2021 movie "King Richard" at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Throughout the weekend, the NAACP will be collecting donations of menstrual products as well as personal hygiene products like combs, shampoo and brushes. They will also be collecting new book-bags for Springfield Public School students.
The celebration commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that slaves in Galveston, Texas, received word that they were free two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth has been celebrated in Springfield since 1997, and in 2021 Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday.
"This year’s Juneteenth commemoration emphasizes collaboration. We are beginning to become proximate in spaces that are foreign to us," NAACP Springfield President Kai Sutton said in a press release. "Through our community volunteerism and programs, we must encourage and lift up each other as we extend our reach."
Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield NAACP's Juneteenth celebrations start Saturday
