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  • Though not exactly on the June 19 holiday, the theme for this year’s celebration is “Stay Awake and Resist” – a call to action rooted in culture, freedom, and pride which harkens back to holiday roots
  • In prior years, the scent of Soul Food and ethnic cuisine ranging from African to Jamaican and Caribbean dishes have flooded Ithaca’s southside neighborhood, with music and dancing in its streets.
  • Juneteenth commemorates the final end of slavery in the rebelling states just after the end of the Civil War.

The Southside Community Center is gearing up for its annual Juneteenth celebration, running from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 14.

Though not exactly on the June 19 holiday, the theme for this year’s celebration is “Stay Awake and Resist” – a call to action rooted in culture, freedom, and pride which, according to the center, harkens back to the roots of the holiday.

Southside hosts what many consider to be Ithaca’s best block party of the year each year in celebration of Black culture. Live musical performances, vendors and artists are expected in attendance, all in the name of education.

In prior years, the scent of soul food and ethnic cuisine ranging from African to Jamaican and Caribbean dishes has flooded Ithaca’s southside neighborhood, along with music and dancing in its streets to the beat of African drums.

Learn more about the event online on the Southside Community Center’s social media pages.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth commemorates the final end of slavery in the rebelling states just after the end of the Civil War. While the Emancipation Proclamation freed all African American slaves in the Confederate states in 1863, it was not enforced in areas under continuing Confederate control.

The Civil War ended in April 1865, and on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers delivered the message in Galveston, Texas, that the war was over and the Emancipation Proclamation was now enforceable.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. President Joe Biden signed legislation on June 17, 2021, after Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act that same month.

This article uses information from a prior USA Today article.