RAPID CITY, S.D. – Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date when the last enslaved people were freed in the United States.
To honor this event, the Ellsworth African American Heritage Committee and the Black Hills Community Theatre (BHCT) hosted their second annual Juneteenth celebration at the historic theater in Rapid City.
The event featured a barbecue, presentations, a talent show, live music and various activities aimed at fostering education and community spirit.
Joshua Womble, President of the Ellsworth African-American Heritage Committee, emphasized the importance of the celebration.
“It gives us a chance to kind of bring people together, explain ourselves while we’re building camaraderie with the Rapid City community,” he said. “Most people don’t know what it is. They just know it’s a federal holiday now. So, this is a chance for us to explain [the holiday] and then broaden the message that we have.”
The event saw a diverse array of vendors, with many being minority and black-owned businesses.
“We have a lot of vendors… I do know a lot of people love the opportunity to come together and actually spend today together and show what they have to offer to the community,” said John Smith, a vendor and planner for the Juneteenth celebration, also representing the company known as “Coolaid”.
Womble says that they will be hosting their third annual Juneteenth celebration next year and hopes even more people will join in the festivities. You can find more about upcoming events on their Instagram here, also on the BHCT website.
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