Juneteenth will be celebrated in Chillicothe on Saturday, June 19th. The Ross County Chapter of the NAACP will lead the celebration, in partnership with the Pump House Center for the Arts, which will host the celebration at its gallery in Yoctangee Park.
Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States and is recognized as a State Holiday in Ohio.
"In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves, but a lot of the slaves down in the south, mainly Texas, didn't get that information until later," said Ross County NAACP President Adrienne D'Souza. So, we celebrate for when all the slaves were freed."
Social Hour for the Juneteenth celebration will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the 19th with the main program held from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will include music and poetry, the Zion Baptist Youth Mime Group, and a display of artwork from local artists of color.