By Audrey Hertel
June 14, 2019
Juneteenth began as a holiday to commemorate the announcement on June 19, 1865, that slavery was abolished. This holiday sparks many celebrations all across the country, including right here in Lincoln.
This saturday, the Clyde Malone Community Center will hold its annual Juneteenth celebration. From 1 to 6 p.m., the center will host various activities including a family fun walk on the Antelope Valley Trail, a health and wellness fair, bounce houses, and music from the 402 Band.
Kimberly Goins, the executive director at the Malone Community Center said that the celebration hosted by the community celebrates the unity found in the community.
“We host an annual event for the community that’s led out of the Malone Community Center to celebrate love, to celebrate community, to celebrate that we have more in common than [not].”
Goins said that she is looking forward to the event as she will be able to meet new people and be able to connect with them.
“I love meeting new people and making friends. I believe this is the event that does that,” Goins said.
And for Goins, food can be a way to connect with others. For Juneteenth, that connection comes in the form of local food trucks that will be found at the celebration.
“Food is great for two things: healing and connecting,” she said.
Other than through food, members of the community can engage with one another in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The games begin on Friday at 6 p.m. and end with the finals on Saturday at 10 a.m.
And following the activities at the Juneteenth celebration, Capital Cigar Lounge will host an after party from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Lincoln’s Juneteenth celebration is described as “a fun-filled day of friends, family and celebration of freedom” on the event’s website. Goins also highlighted that this event emphasizes the kind of community Lincoln fosters.
“What I think about Lincoln, specifically, as someone who’s lived here for a relatively short time, I think that all we are a community that celebrates all people, and that we’re very a forward and progressive community,” she said.
Goins said people should attend the event to make new connections, revive old ones, and celebrate unity.
“I think people should come out to make new connections to see old friends, to have a lot of fun, to experience the outdoors and I think, most importantly, to really create a new narrative when we think of the time that we’re currently living in,” she said.
Audrey Hertel is a multimedia intern with KZUM.
