December 26, 2024
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2 ways to celebrate Juneteenth on Sunday in Joliet

Celebrating Juneteenth is a good way to start building empathy

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Cornerstone Services in Joliet held its first Juneteenth Friendship Festival on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The event was an opportunity for people to learn ways to support each other and combat systemic racism.

Cornerstone Services in Joliet held its first Juneteenth Friendship Festival on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The event was an opportunity for people to learn ways to support each other and combat systemic racism. Two Juneteenth events will be held on Sunday, June 19, 2022 in Joliet. (Photo provided)

In 2021, Cornerstone Services held its first Juneteenth Friendship Festival event.

Matthew Lanoue, coordinator of public relations at Cornerstone Services, said in a 2021 Herald news story that the event was an opportunity for people to learn ways to support each other and combat systemic racism.

Those are two good reasons to participate in a Juneteenth event in Joliet this year, too.

“We aim to break down a myriad of invisible barriers that currently divide us.,” Toni Greathouse, entrepreneurial evangelist, wrote in a column in The Herald-News on March 2. “We seek to build empathy, which is the starting point to understand the lingering impact of racism. Now is the time to seek common ground, listen without judgment and identify the roots of resistance that make positive change possible.”

Pictured are Stephen Hale, coordinator of human resources at Cornerstone Services in Joliet (left) and Ben Stortz, Cornerstone's president/CEO. Guests at Cornerstone's first Juneteenth Friendship Festival were asked to leave a handprint in solidarity with Cornerstone's goal of eliminating systemic racism. (Photo provided)

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, to ensure the freedom of enslaved Black residents.

Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. It is celebrated on June 19.

Here are two ways to honor the day.

A Day of Restore, Reinvent & Renew Joliet

Hosted by the grassroots Community Cultivation Project, the Juneteenth celebration of “A Day of Restore, Reinvent & Renew Joliet” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at The Salvation Army, 300 Third Ave. in Joliet

Event highlights include community resource tables, food, raffles and prizes.

Shaniqua Jones of Purple Path will be the guest speaker.

Other guests include Amy Sanchez with Warehouse Workers for Justice, Black Lives Matter Will County, Nicole Lurry with Justice for Wives and Eric “BJ” Lurry Jr. Foundation, Felicia Houston of Enhanced Wellness Counseling & DUI and Prairie State Legal Services.

For more information, contact communitycultivation1@gmail.com

Juneteenth in Joliet

With a theme of “On a Mission from God,” the “Juneteenth in Joliet” celebration will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Joliet Area Historical Museum, 204 North Ottawa St. in Joliet.

Features of the event gospel music and “words of faith,” panel discussions, vendor booths highlighting entrepreneurial Black women and sweet treats.

For more information, visit juneteenthwalkoflife.com.

Cornerstone Services in Joliet held its first Juneteenth Friendship Festival on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The event was an opportunity for people to learn ways to support each other and combat systemic racism.

Cornerstone Services in Joliet held its first Juneteenth Friendship Festival on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The event was an opportunity for people to learn ways to support each other and combat systemic racism. (Photo provided)

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