MT. VERNON, IL — The Mt. Vernon Branch of the NAACP will celebrate Juneteenth this Saturday at Dawson Park from 1-7pm. Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrated annually on or around the 19th of June in the United States. The holiday commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger’s reading of federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas in 1865, proclaiming that all enslaved persons in the U.S. state of Texas were now free.

President of the local NAACP branch, Erie Patton explained why Juneteenth is so important to African American’s.

This year’s celebration is promoted as a time for reflection and addressing social issues as well as the struggles of 2020 overall. Patton says this Juneteenth will be the most important that she’s been involved with yet.

This year’s Juneteenth celebration will feature free food, music and games for both children and adults. For more information, contact Reverend Erie Patton at 618-316-7076.