The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s Fatherhood and Lincoln Grant Scholar House programs are once again partnering with St. Elizabeth Healthcare to host a Juneteenth celebration.
The celebration will take place on Wednesday, June 19 from 3-7 p.m. at the Lincoln Grant Scholar House, 824 Greenup St., in Covington. The event is an annual commemoration of African-American emancipation.
“NKCAC is excited to partner with St. Elizabeth Healthcare again this year to recognize
Juneteenth,” NKCAC Executive Director Catrena Bowman said in a press release. “We’re also proud to offer resources to our Northern Kentucky community members while engaging in some fun and fellowship.”
While the celebration at Lincoln Grant Scholar House targets single parents, the event
is free and open to the public. It will feature food, a talent show and music, and will also include vendor booths for community resources and social service agencies to provide information about their services.
“At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, we are committed to creating opportunities for everyone to
achieve their best health, as we aim to support the communities we serve to become the healthiest in the nation,” St. Elizabeth’s VP of Health Equity, Culture and Community Christopher Johnson said in the release. “Our promise to provide culturally competent
care, paired with dignity and respect, is reflected in the community partnerships we build with organizations such as NKCAC. The Juneteenth celebration is a great way to reach those in our Northern Kentucky community that may be struggling to find the right care, at the right time.”
Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United
States. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger announced that slaves in Texas
were free by order of the President of the United States.
The announcement came two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. Although celebrated throughout the U.S. since 1865, Juneteenth has been more widely observed since the Civil Rights Movement, providing a platform for the promotion of diversity and an opportunity for education about the sacrifices and challenges endured by enslaved Americans in their struggle for freedom.
