It moves people to action: Eastern Shore Juneteenth Festival returns to downtown Salisbury wmdt.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wmdt.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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June 16, 2021
SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury is getting ready to celebrate Juneteenth with a community cookout. Eastern Shore Juneteenth, the Wicomico Truth and Reconciliation Initiative, Action Made Clothing, and Faith Over Fear Economic Development Inc. are all pitching in. “We weren’t expecting it to be a big event. We were just thinking of something small that we could have that celebrates Juneteenth and that people could come out to. We had so many businesses and organizations reach out to us wanting to sponsor, or wanting to donate in some way,” said Eastern Shore Juneteenth Co-Found Makya Purnell.
Saturday, Salisbury City Park will serve as the venue for music, games, activities, and resources for the community. Purnell says free food will be served up, and it’s not just going to be hotdogs and hamburgers. They’re going to be cooking up all the best parts of soul food, including greens, mac and cheese, and other favorites. Purnell says they’re also gearing s
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This year, Juneteenth lands in the dust of both a global health crisis and an emboldened movement for racial justice in the United States.
The holiday, growing in celebration and recognition throughout the country, commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States more specifically June 19,1865, when the last slaves were freed in Texas.
Texas was the first state to formally mark the holiday in 1980, and 47 states and Washington, D.C. have since commemorated it with a state holiday or observance. The date has not been adopted as a federal holiday, though efforts continue.
Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country in 2020 also brought a renewed focus to racial justice, causing more private companies to start designating Juneteenth as a paid company holiday for employees.