Juneteenth Community Celebration expo returns to Springfield Saturday

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Springfield’s Juneteenth celebration is continuing Saturday at the Springfield Expo Center. The Juneteenth Community Celebration will be filled with music, dance, and the opportunity to connect with local businesses and artists.

The Springfield chapter of the NAACP will also host an award ceremony. The organization will present its annual Black Excellence awards. This year, several professors and community members are being honored for their personal and professional achievements.

Some of the honorees include Reggie Harris, Dr. Leonard Horton, Gloria Hairston, Justin Loudermill, Tylar Grant, Dr. Marlin Barber, and Dee Sova.

Darline Mabins, Director of Community Engagement with Community Partnership of the Ozarks, says celebrating Juneteenth helps people feel seen and appreciated.

“This is our fourth year partnering with the local NAACP to bring Juneteenth to Springfield. It’s just an important part of our history,“ Mabins said. ”The end of slavery, and also recognizing the contributions of our African American populations.”

Juneteenth commemorates the day that news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, freeing the final slaves in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, but it took time for enforcement to reach the entire country.

Mabins says Juneteenth celebrates one of the many minority groups that have shaped our country’s history and culture.

“America is special in the way that there are so many different groups and subgroups that made it what it is today,” Mabins said. “This is just one way of celebrating our African American population, so it’s very important that it’s big in Springfield.”

Saturday night, the Juneteenth concert will take place at the Gillioz Theater. R&B soul singer Keke Wyatt will perform.

Sunday, the Juneteenth celebration concludes with screenings of “Together Apart: Park Day Reunion Documentary.” The film tells the story of Silver Springs Park, Springfield’s only park for the Black community and sports leagues during segregation. The screenings will be at the Moxie Theater downtown at 3 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. Tickets are free.

Click here for more information on the Juneteenth celebration.

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