Locals and public officials gathered at village hall June 2 to raise a flag in honor of Juneteenth. Made a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. 

Forest Park officials and residents at the Juneteenth flag raising ceremony | Todd Bannor
Triton College Trustee Glover Johnson, Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson | Todd Bannor

Also known as “Freedom Day,” Juneteenth recognizes June 19, 1865 as the day Union soldiers freed nearly 250,000 slaves in Galveston, Texas after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery two years prior.  

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins grew up in Galveston and helped launch the first Juneteenth celebration in Forest Park in 2009, when he was a commissioner and the first African American to be elected to public office in the village. That year, Hoskins also assisted in starting the annual Juneteenth Pool Party. This year’s celebration is at the Park District’s Aquatic Center on June 14, starting at 6:45 p.m.  

Mayor Rory Hoskins speaks | Todd Bannor
Mayor Rory Hoskins welcomes Hacen El Khair, a gentleman from Mauritania, where slavery is practiced in spite of being illegal | Todd Bannor
Public works employees raise the flag | Todd Bannor