The village of Oak Park held a flag-raising ceremony to formally recognize the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.
Elected officials and members of the public gathered outside Oak Park village hall, 123 Madison St., to take part in the outdoor ceremony June 5.
The ceremony included speeches, live music and a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony along Madison Street.
The event included an opening prayer by Deacon Wiley Samuel, a recognition of ancestors by George Bailey, a reading of the village Juneteenth proclamation by residents Juanta Griffin and Anthony Clark and a performance of the Black National Anthem by Adeyemi Griffin.
Village president Vicki Scaman and trustee Chibuike Enyia also spoke to the crowd, as did Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins. The ceremony included a live musical performance by The Snake Doctors.
Juneteenth itself is celebrated June 19, which commemorates the June 19, 1865 date when a U.S. Army general read orders in Galveston, Texas that all previously enslaved people were free.
Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed enslaved people more than two years earlier and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederacy, Texas was the most remote of the slave states with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation was slow and inconsistent, officials said.
Last year, the Oak Park village board adopted a proclamation in recognition of Juneteenth, pledging to support the holiday both “financially and in spirit” from that day forward.
In addition to the flag-raising ceremony, the village will also support a Juneteenth car caravan, which will take place at 3 p.m. June 19 at Taylor Park, 400 Division St.
Vehicles are expected to gather at the park to take part in the caravan, which is expected to drive around the village on an organized route before returning to the park for a celebration event.
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