The Unity Group and Coalition Partners are making preparations for the Juneteenth National Freedom Day Parade 2022. The parade will take place on Saturday, June 18.
Participants will assemble for line-up at the Carver Recreation Center at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m., the parade will begin and proceed down North Orchard Knob Avenue, ending at the Community Haven, where there will be the Juneteenth National Freedom Day Gala which will feature music, education, entertainment, food and youth activities.
Juneteenth is the oldest and most continuous African-American holiday. It marks the occasion when General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in 1865 which informed America's last slaves that they were in fact free. In 2021, Juneteenth became an official national holiday after many years of tireless advocacy.
Churches, organizations, youth groups and the community at-large are invited to be a parade participant this year. This year organizers especially want to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of the United States Colored Troops, Buffalo Soldiers, and African-American military veterans. America’s “New Birth of Freedom” would not have been self-evident without them.
The parade will culminate the week-long Juneteenth Commemoration. The theme on this year is: Freedom is not Free: Honoring the Past- Pressing Towards the Future. There will be more information on the parade and week-long celebration in the upcoming weeks.