Juneteenth

Parade participants and spectators kicked off the Juneteenth Freedom Festival weekend celebration on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

Parade participants and spectators christened the newly improved Hobbie Avenue on Saturday as the Juneteenth Freedom Festival weekend celebration began.

The Sauk Valley Diversity Alliance hosted a Juneteenth celebration Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Grandon Civic Center in Sterling.

The heat Sunday didn't stop people from filling Hopkins Park in DeKalb to celebrate Juneteenth. The event commemorates the day enslaved people in Texas were told they were free on June 19, 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. DeKalb's celebration included games, vendors, dancing and more.

The community celebrated Juneteenth at the Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ on Thursday. This was the first year at the church after being held the last four years in Plano.

Lake County invites the entire community to come together for the 2025 Juneteenth Parade and Festival, a powerful celebration of Black freedom, culture, and resilience, taking place June 21 in Waukegan.

Looking for something to do this weekend in DeKalb County? Check out Malta Days which kicks off Thursday, DeKalb Pride and march downtown on Saturday, Juneteenth Community Celebration on Sunday and more.

McHenry County government offices and courts will be closed Thursday for Juneteenth.

The public is invited to the annual Juneteenth Community Celebration in DeKalb on Sunday. The free, family-friendly event runs noon to 4 p.m. at Hopkins Park.

Here are special events planned in Will County to commemorate Juneteenth, the day commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.

This year’s ‘Juneteenth in Kendall County – A Celebration of Love & Education’ featuring entertainment, live performances, food and family fun, is on Thursday at Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ.

The annual Kankakee Juneteenth Parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at East Oak Street in downtown Kankakee and parade participants will be the first to travel along the brand new Hobbie Avenue surface.

The Sauk Valley Diversity Alliance is hosting a Juneteenth celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Grandon Civic Center in Sterling.

Residents of Joliet recognized Juneteenth on Wednesday by breaking ground on a new museum commemorating Black military service members at the historic Casseday House on the city's east side.

The Sauk Valley Diversity Alliance held a Juneteenth celebration Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Grandon Civic Center in Sterling.

Lockport Township Park District hosted a Juneteenth celebration at A.F. Hill Park on June 19, 2024. Will County and Will County Habitat for Humanity were also represented at the event.

It was beginning to look a lot like a party at Hopkins Park in DeKalb Saturday, with all the food, family fun, music and dancing. The occasion was New Hope Missionary Baptist Church’s fourth annual Juneteenth Celebration.

Local, state and federal officials attended the History on Wheels groundbreaking ceremony and Juneteenth celebration at the African Descendants Military and Historical Museum in Joliet on June 19, 2024.

Bertino-Tarrant signs proclamation day before Juneteenth observances.

The future African Descendants Military and Historical Museum will be the center of Juneteenth events in Joliet on Wednesday.

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church held its fourth annual Juneteenth Community Celebration Saturday afternoon at Hopkins Park in Dekalb. The festivities included social service informational booths, vendors, food, music, and games.

Plano’s fourth annual Juneteenth celebration will take place June 15 at Emily G. Johns School, 430 Mitchell Drive, Plano.

The DeKalb County Board will not meet Wednesday and will instead hold its regular meeting the following week, as county offices will be closed on June 19 for the national holiday Juneteenth.

The second annual Juneteenth celebration in Woodstock takes place Saturday, June 15.

Singer Darlene Benton will be the featured vocalist at the second annual Juneteenth Festival on historic Woodstock Square on Saturday, June 17 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.

A march on Sunday honored the memory of Willowbrook shooting victim Reginald Meadows.

Questions remain as business owners regroup after fatal Juneteenth party shooting in Willowbrook.

As part of "Juneteenth in Joliet," panelists discussed the evolution of race relations, adapting to change, bridging economic gaps, and strengthening the community’s foundation to better support diversity, equity and inclusion.

There was no formal recognition of LGBTQ Pride or Juneteenth at last week’s Will County Board meeting following controversy over a potential decision to recognize a group that has been called extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

A DuPage County Sheriff’s Department investigation into a shooting at a Juneteenth celebration near Willowbrook is ongoing.

DeKalb resident Karen Wilkerson said she refused to let what transpired in Willowbrook prevent her from enjoying her time at the third annual Juneteenth celebration at Hopkins Park in DeKalb Sunday.

Event at Joliet Area Historical Museum reflects growing recognition of Juneteenth's importance.

Sterling held a Juneteenth celebration Saturday, June 17, 2023 at the Grandon Civic Center. Juneteenth recognizes the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

More than 100 people gathered at the Historic Woodstock Square to celebrate McHenry County's first Juneteenth event.

People celebrate Juneteenth Saturday, June 17, 2023, during McHenry County’s first Juneteenth celebration at the Historic Woodstock Square. The Juneteenth festival featured McHenry County College graduate Rodney Katushabe and Pastor Norval Brown of the Cary United Methodist Church, along with music from gospel singer Darlene Benton and jazz musician Ken Davis.

Looking for ways to celebrate Juneteenth with the family? Check out the 3rd annual Juneteenth Community Celebration Sunday in Hopkins Park in DeKalb, or a downtown DeKalb Juneteenth Block Party Monday, among other local events.

Bertino-Tarrant calls on Will County residents to “celebrate the emancipation of Black Americans."

Tour Waywards on Friday night, make art and enjoy music at the Joliet shop.

Features of Monday afternoon’s event at the Joliet Area Historical Museum include conversations on the evolution of race relations, including adapting to changing, bridging economic gaps and how to positively impact the future.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum held a Juneteen celebration on Sunday afternoon. Features of the event included gospel music and “words of faith,” vendor booths, a showcase of entrepreneurial Black women and two panel discussions: “Minding Her Own Black Owned Business” and “The

Guests and staff at Trinity Service locations enjoyed music, games, food and raffles.

“My hope is the community will come out and celebrate freedom,” said DeKalb pastor Joe Mitchell of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. The second annual free family-friendly Juneteenth celebration will start at noon Sunday in Hopkins Park.

Juneteenth celebrations will be held at the Joliet Area Historical Museum and The Salvation Army.

Community organizations announce a Juneteenth event offering an indoor hour of prayer, recognition, restoration and celebration June 20. Featured speaker will be the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., civil rights activist and cousin of Emmett Till.

A Northern Illinois University professor has compiled a Juneteenth reading list for others to learn more throughout June about the federal holiday.

Starting next year, City of DeKalb employees potentially will receive a paid holiday in observance of Juneteenth, city officials say, the first step in the City’s efforts to mark the newest federal and state holiday.

To fully appreciate the significance of Berwyn’s first Juneteenth celebration, look to history, both local and national

Starting next year, City of DeKalb employees potentially could receive a paid holiday in observance of Juneteenth, city officials say, the first step in the City’s efforts to mark the newest federal and state holiday.

There was an extra note of celebration to this year’s annual Juneteenth event Saturday.

DeKalb’s first ever Juneteenth celebration block party was hosted by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, the NIU Center for Black Studies and B.L.L.A.C.K. Inc. NFP. The event ran from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Hillcrest and Blackhawk, where the old Campus Cinema once stood, in the Annie Glidden North neighborhood.