Juneteenth celebrations will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at Buckley Park in Durango.
The federal holiday, declared by President Joe Biden in 2021, celebrates the official ending of slavery in rebelling states.
“We want to educate members of the Black community as well as the general public because a lot of people don’t know about it or why it’s a national holiday,” said Tracy Jones, director of the Southwest Movement for Black Lives.
In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of slaves in rebelling states. Yet, it could not be implemented in places still under heavy Confederate control. It took a while for the westernmost Confederate state of Texas to comply with the decree.
It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that the Union Army invaded Galveston Bay, Texas, and announced that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as “Juneteenth.”
Jones said the Durango celebration will host various vendors and nonprofit organizations to celebrate Black culture. Educational speakers, dancers, artists and singers will preform at the event. Arnold Safari Ngumbo, a Kenyan chef, will serve authentic African cuisine.
“We try to focus on unity,” Jones said. “We want to connect members of the Black community because I think that’s challenging for people to do in this town.”
The Southwest Movement for Black Lives took off in 2020 and has held a Juneteenth celebration the past two years. Jones expects 70 to 150 community members to attend the event. She said the holiday is about uplifting, empowering and celebrating the community.
Destiny Morgan, former Black Student Union president at Fort Lewis College, will speak at the Buckley Park celebration. Lyric Rodriguez, Durango High School Black Student Alliance president, will also speak.
“It’s great that we have such young, strong females representing our community,” Jones said. “It’s going to be a great celebration.”
glanderyou@durangoherald.com