BROOKINGS – Brookings residents will gather on Saturday, June 19, for the city’s second annual Juneteenth Celebration, starting at 1l a.m. at Pioneer Park. 

Organizers invite all community members for a day filled with family, food and fun. The event will be hosted by the Brookings Human Rights Commission (BHRC).

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, is a holiday that commemorates the liberation of enslaved African Americans, which occurred on June 19, 1865. 

Juneteenth is currently a state holiday in 49 of the 50 states, with South Dakota being the lone state that does not officially recognize Juneteenth. There were two attempts, SB 71 and SB 89, this past year in the state Legislature to make Juneteenth a state-recognized holiday. However, both fell short.

The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which would make Juneteenth a federal holiday, has been introduced in Congress.

South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson has urged lawmakers to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday. A letter from Johnson to the BHRC will be read at the event by Jason Meusburger, vice chair of the BHRC. 

The Brookings event will include a panel discussion titled “Forging a path to racial justice.” The panel, led by Diane Nagy of the BHRC, includes Alex Wood, South Dakota State University retention adviser for African American programs; Kas Williams, SDSU’s chief diversity officer; Jamaal Cummings and Fedora Sutton. The panel is slated to begin at about 1:30 p.m. 

A community question-and-answer session called “After 4” will follow the panel discussion.

“The After 4 will have the panel members there along with some others who have been working on this process to help heal,” BHRC board member and organizer for the Brooking’s Juneteenth Celebration Nieema Thasing said in an email to the Register. “We will be looking into so many things during this After 4.”

A mayoral proclamation will also be read. 

“It’s a dynamite proclamation,” Thasing said. 

Children are welcome to attend as there will be a youth encouragement corner, plus arts and crafts. The corner will have a variety of books on Juneteenth, Thasing said.

The event will begin with a welcome by Thasing followed by a prayer and blessing from a local faith leader. Also planned is a welcome video along with drummers from a traditional Native American drumming group and a drum circle. Later, community members will present a traditional African dance demonstration.

“A traditional Juneteenth event typically revolves around music,” organizer Aysia Platte said.

A number of vendors present at the event, including Blind Guy Boards, and a food truck, Rub ‘N Tug BBQ, as well as a coffee kart from Kool Beans.

“Picnics are traditional for Juneteenth celebrations, so we are sticking with that same theme,” Platte said.

According to Thasing, the City of Brookings has waived fees for temporary vendor permits for the event.

“We are open to more vendors and food trucks joining us for this celebration,” Thasing said.

The organizers are excited for this year’s Juneteenth celebration and believe that subsequent years will see the event continue to grow.

“Last year was a very minimal event, but this year we are really excited for what we have planned,” Platte said. “It’s been a team effort – we have a real grassroots event that we think can continue to grow. We have social media accounts that we will operate year-round in order to build excitement for Juneteenth as well as informing the community about the importance of Juneteenth.”

The Juneteenth event last year had around 100 attendees, but more are expected this year.

“While Juneteenth may seem new to some people, or because it’s been making a resurgence in recent years, that doesn’t mean this is a new holiday,” Platte said. “Juneteenth has been celebrated since 1865, and we are excited to (finally) be making this an annual tradition in Brookings.”

If any other vendors, food trucks, or talent would like to be present for the event, they should contact Juneteenth.brookings@gmail.com. 

For more information visit the “Juneteenth Celebration 2021” Facebook page. 

Contact Addison DeHaven at adehaven@brookingsregister.com.