Covington announced Thursday it is joining other local cities in a celebration of Juneteenth this weekend and recognizing it as an official city holiday on Monday, June 20.
“Juneteenth is a significant day in our nation’s history,” City Manager Ken Smith said. “Many of us were taught that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, or later with the defeat of the South.”
Sunday marks the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the people of Galveston, Texas, freeing slaves in the last Confederate state.
Covington now joins Louisville, Lexington and Midway – and more recently, here in Northern Kentucky, Dayton – as cities across the state of Kentucky that formally recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday for local government employees.
In February, the Covington city commission voted to officially recognize Juneteenth as a citywide holiday for non-union employees. Because June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, the official city holiday is Monday.
Just this week, Dayton Mayor Ben Baker signed an executive order recognizing Juneteenth as a citywide holiday.
Covington city leaders hope the broader community will become increasingly aware of Juneteenth’s significance in the United States’ history.
“It gives acknowledgement to an important act in our country’s history, and further shows our commitment to racial equality,” Commissioner Ron Washington said. “Our differences as a people make our city stronger.”
Events will be held on Friday and Saturday throughout Covington to celebrate the holiday.
June 17
On Friday, Welcome House of Kentucky’s Juneteenth Celebration at Randolph Park will bring together black-owned businesses, all-black choirs, praise dancers and food trucks.
The event will include the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Quartet, dancers from Bi-Okoto Cultural Center, ArtsWave, educational materials and slideshow, health screenings provided by Welcome House’s internal medical team, all-Black sororities and fraternities, staff from the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, and the African-American Studies programs from Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati.
June 18
On Saturday, the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission will join St. Elizabeth Healthcare in a Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Grant Scholar House at 834 Greenup St. in Covington.
The event will feature a full day of activities including multiple tournaments, a DJ, free health screenings, free food and drinks courtesy of Dada Smokes, Kona Ice, and career information from St. Elizabeth Human Resources. Local radio personality Ebony J will emcee the event.
The event will be free and open to the public.
“We are thrilled to be at the Lincoln Grant Scholar House for another Emancipation Day celebration,” Catrena Bowman-Thomas, NKCAC executive director, said.
