AKRON, Ohio — Akron-area organizations plan to offer Juneteenth 2022 events throughout the weekend to celebrate and honor what's now a federal holiday.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Akron-area organizations plan to offer Juneteenth 2022 events throughout the weekend

  • Juneteenth, or June 19, historically has been observed as the end of slavery in the U.S.

  • June 19 actually marks the date news finally reached slaves in Galveston, Texas that enslavement ended two years earlier

  • Local events range from parades and festivals to panel discussions and lectures

Juneteenth, or June 19, historically has been observed as the end of slavery in the U.S. In reality, June 19, 1865 marks the date news finally reached slaves in Galveston, Texas that sanctioned enslavement had ended, even though President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier on Jan. 1, 1983.

Throughout the weekend in Akron, look for entertainment and educational events across the city, ranging from parades to panel discussions. 

Friday, June 17

  • Summit County Historical Society will host an African-American Migration program and a Juneteenth Farm Friday for children from preschool to 6th grade. The free event begins at 10:30 a.m. at Perkins Stone Mansion, 550 Copley Road in Akron.

Saturday, June 18

  • Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley will host a Juneteenth in Ward 5 event from noon to 6 p.m. at Joy Park Community Center, 825 Fuller St. in Akron
  • Students With a Goal will host a Summit Lake Juneteenth Celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The celebration will feature guest speakers Philathia Bolton and Kwame Williams, and include community pop-up vendors and guided lake canoeing.
  • New Generation will host a Youth Juneteenth Event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Perkins Park, 899 Diagonal Road in Akron. The event includes family-friendly music and games for children of all ages, a “What is Juneteenth?” coloring contest for young children and an essay contest for older children.
  • Summit County Historical Society’s annual Juneteenth Community Talk Back, “Empowering a Community Through the Principles of Kwanzaa,” will be moderated by John Brown Institute Task Force chair Gina Kaye Maddox. at 10:30 a.m. at the John Brown House.
  • A Soul Food Cooking Demonstration by Chef Dannika Stevenson of Sip Savor Soul begins at 12:15 p.m.
  • The curated exhibition, "Conversations of Grace," by artist Dara Harper. will run noon to 3 p.m.  at the John Brown Open House.
  • Downtown Akron Partnership will host a Juneteenth Celebration at Lock 3 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.  The event starts with a ticketed dinner and community conversation. Tickets are limited to 90 people and are available online. Music and dancing will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is free and open to all.

Sunday, June 19

  • Akron Black Coalition’s 24th annual Akron Juneteenth Festival will kick off with the West Akron parade, starting at Buchtel Community Learning Center, 1040 Copley Road, and ending at Stoner/Hawkins Park, 1201 S. Hawkins Ave. The festival runs from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the park. The festival features a Black business market, the Gerald R. Carter Teen Talent Show, flag football games, the West Side car show, and other activities.
  • The Summit County Historical Society will host an Akron history hike to the John Brown monument at 9 a.m. at the Akron Zoo, 505 Euclid Ave. Free access to the zoo is not included. Historical Society Director Emeritus Dave Lieberth will lead the hike and speak about the famous abolitionist who lived in Summit County. Brown led the 1859 raid on the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in an attempt to end slavery in the United States.
  • Metro Parks Summit Lake Nature Center will celebrate Juneteenth with programs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the center, 411 Ira Ave. in Akron.

Check the Downtown Akron Partnership website for more Juneteenth events.

Related Stories