PEORIA, Ill. – The Peoria NAACP branch hosted its second annual Ernestine Jackson Juneteenth Freedom Day Parade, one of many Juneteenth celebrations taking place throughout Central Illinois over the next week.
The parade is named in honor of the local civil rights activist who worked to protect labor rights and equal employment. She was also a lifetime member of the Peoria NAACP.
25 News reports organizers said the parade and the holiday both hold a deep meaning as it commemorates the day in 1865 when Union Army troops brought news of emancipation to enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas.
“It’s important to remember where we came from so that we can go further than where we’ve been. It’s important to remember the ancestors that came before us and whose shoulders we stand on,” said Marvin Hightower, the president of Peoria NAACP Branch.
Organizers think they had a bigger crowd this year than in 2024. After the parade, the YANI Collective held a Juneteenth festival at John Gwinn Jr. Park.
Comments