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Juneteenth is on June 19, and family-friendly celebrations and events are planned around Salem.

Juneteenth, known as America’s Second Independence Day, was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 as a way to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

Here is a roundup of Juneteenth events happening around Salem.

Black Wall Street Block Party

The 2025 Black Wall Street Block Party is a Juneteenth celebration organized by the Salem-Keizer National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The event celebrates freedom, resilience and Black excellence, according to organizers.

It will feature performances by local performers, family-friendly activities, food trucks, art, and vendors.

  • Date: June 19
  • Time: Noon – 6 p.m.
  • Location: Micah Building, 680 State St. in Salem
  • Cost: Free

Juneteenth Community History Walk

The Juneteenth Community History Walk celebrates the holiday by offering a 2.8 mile guided and self-guided walk recognizing the lives of Black Salem residents who lived through emancipation, the Civil War and the end of slavery.

The event is organized by the Willamette Heritage Center, Oregon Black Pioneers and Just Walk Salem Keizer.

This year’s walk will highlight the lives of Oregon’s Gorman family.

According to the Willamette Heritage Center, Hannah Gorman and her daughter, Eliza, were some of the earliest travelers on the Oregon Trail and arrived in Polk County with their enslavers in 1844. 

Gorman and her daughter eventually built a life in Corvallis, and Gorman’s son, Hiram, freed during the Civil War, came west to Salem from a ranch in Montana with his family.

Hiram became a longtime employee of the Oregon Statesman newspaper and ran a printing press.

The walk will take people to spots connected to the Gorman family, including the site where Hiram worked at the Oregon Statesman, a garden where he grew pea stalks and his home.

  • Date: June 19
  • Time: Guided walks begin at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
  • Location: Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. SE in Salem
  • Cost: Free

Monmouth Juneteenth Celebration

Monmouth’s Juneteenth Celebration will celebrate freedom with a night market, live entertainment, games, music and dance.

The first 100 people will receive free food, face painting and balloon art.

  • Date: June 19
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Location: Main Street Park Amphitheater in Monmouth
  • Cost: Free

Albany Juneteenth Celebration

The Albany Juneteenth Celebration is organized by the Linn Benton NAACP and features keynote speaker Michael A. Johnson.

Johnson is an education leader focused on driving innovation in K-12 schools, higher education and education nonprofits, according to event organizers. Johnson “specializes in data-driven strategies that enhance Black student success, enrollment, curriculum design, and financial sustainability,” organizers said.

The family-friendly event will celebrate freedom, learning, and community with educators, dancing, arts and crafts, free food and a book giveaway.

  • Date: June 21
  • Time: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Location: Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W. in Albany
  • Cost: Free

Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.