Juneteenth events are planned throughout Michiana this week and weekend, offering opportunities to celebrate freedom, culture and community.
At the University of Notre Dame, the third annual Juneteenth Celebration and Resource Fair will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday outside the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public and will include food, games, giveaways and a resource fair featuring local nonprofits, businesses and service providers.
In Elkhart, the Tolson Center for Community Excellence will host a two-part celebration on Saturday. From 9 to 11 a.m., Grammy-nominated rapper and motivational speaker SaulPaul will lead a morning empowerment session aimed at professionals working in service roles across the community. A community celebration will follow from 1 to 5 p.m. featuring youth performances, dancing and a live show from SaulPaul.
“This event is for everyone,” said Breanna Allen, executive director of the Tolson Center. “Everyone should celebrate the milestones for fighting inequality and freedom in our country—regardless of your skin color or what you believe.”
On Juneteenth itself—Wednesday, June 19—Elkhart will host additional events. The Elkhart Chapter of Indiana Black Expo is organizing a Rooftop Celebration at the Elkhart Public Library, featuring live music and marking the kickoff of the Elkhart Jazz Festival. Meanwhile, Roosevelt Park will host a Juneteenth Celebration from 4 to 8 p.m.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans that they were free—more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2021 making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Allen said the Tolson Center’s celebration is part of a broader mission.
“The work that we do at the Tolson Center through empowering lives and opening doors to bright futures is about fighting for racial justice and equity for everybody, for our entire community,” she said.
