By Dee Longfellow
The public is invited to the First United Methodist Church of Elmhurst at 232 S. York St. for its annual Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration on Sunday, June 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Held annually, this year’s event is especially not to be missed with Circuit Court Judge Chantelle Porter from the 18th Judicial Circuit Court of DuPage County as a special guest speaker, along with social justice partners, vendors and information about advocacy organizations. The Elmhurst League of Women Voters will be there in case you need to register to vote.
Felicia Mayden, head pastry chef at the Ace Hotel Chicago is on the schedule as well.
Musical entertainment will be provided by the Evon Sams Jazz Combo and by bass/baritone vocalist Vince Wallace, accompanied by Richard Stultz. There will also be food and family-friendly children’s activities.
Officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the U.S., typically celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.
On June 19, 1865, a Union Army general arrived in Texas with 2,000 soldiers and informed more than 250,000 enslaved black Americans that slavery had been abolished following the conclusion of the Civil War. This event took place almost three years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and three months of Lincoln’s assassination.
“This event started in 2020 after the George Floyd murder,” said Lisa Rogers, who is coordinating the event for the First UMC of Elmhurst. She noted that the United Methodist Church (UMC) has recognized that racism is incompatible with Christian teaching and has set a goal to put measures into place to fight against it by educating its members and the public.
As one of those measures, the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC), of which the First UMC of Elmhurst is a part, has established an anti-racism task force. The Elmhurst church has formed its own initiative called the Anti-racism Awareness and Learning Path team (AALP).
“Our church’s anti-racism team came out of the work of the NIC anti-racism task force,” Rogers said. “We have done many events, including our annual Juneteenth event, to raise awareness about the issue of systemic racism and its extremely negative consequences.”
The event is free to attend, although donations are graciously accepted. All proceeds will be donated to the Black College Fund of the United Methodist Church, which supports 11 historically black colleges and universities.
For more information, call 630-834-2440 or visit umcelmhurst.org.
