Today (Thursday) may be Juneteenth, but you can celebrate the holiday and learn more about its meaning on Saturday in Sturgeon Bay. Juneteenth is the African-American celebration commemorating the official end of slavery. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, it was not until June 19th, 1865, that Union troops arrived in Texas to share the news with the people still enslaved there. One hundred sixty years later, community members approached Tracey Robertson to help organize a Juneteenth celebration in Sturgeon Bay, one week after more than 3,500 people attended a similar event in Green Bay. Robertson says she is proud to be a part of the growing African-American community in Sturgeon Bay and believes Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration at Martin Park will highlight their heritage.

 From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the event will include an international MC, a live DJ, an energetic African drum circle, and a Double Dutch jump rope competition. Robertson hopes people from the entire community bring a picnic lunch or pick up food from an area restaurant or the Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market and join them for the festivities.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay and Khena22