Skokie Juneteenth Celebration 2026

Juneteenth, also known as Black Independence Day, Jubilee Day, or Emancipation Day for Black Americans, is a holiday that commemorates the day the last enslaved people were emancipated in the United States on June 19, 1865 with the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. This was two and a half years after slavery was abolished more broadly in the United States through the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and six months before the 13th Amendment in December 1865 made slavery unconstitutional. It is a day to celebrate freedom and also to remember the genocide of enslaved African Americans. Join us for Skokie's annual Juneteenth celebration at Oakton Park! This year's theme will be "Lift as We Climb."  There will be an opening ceremony, speakers, vendors and performances,  a dj, closing speaker and acknowledgment.