Goshen hosts first time event for new national holiday

Steve Wilson, Goshen News, Ind.
·2 min read

Jun. 19—GOSHEN — The Juneteenth celebration at Goshen's Shanklin Park Saturday was more than a celebration to mark the anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States, it was a chance to build community.

"I've been waiting for it and wanting to come see it to educate myself better," Goshen resident Susan Lanning said as the event was getting underway at Shanklin Park shortly after noon, with a number of local vendors and businesses taking part.

AJ Delgadillo, community relations director for the city of Goshen, said, "I'm pretty excited." He was glad for the weather, which wasn't too hot, and was excited for the upcoming live performances, especially the hip-hop dance workshop which was scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. "We had a pretty decent rush (of people) right around noon."

Last year, Congress and President Joe Biden moved swiftly to approve June 19 as a national holiday, the Associated Press reported. It was the first time the federal government had designated a new national holiday since approving Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. This was the inaugural celebratory event for Goshen.

Local artist Naila Suleiman, along with her daughter Manah, 9, were on hand selling prints, bookmarks, jewelry, greeting cards and other items, along with a number of other vendors.

The Goshen Public Library was also set up at one of the event tables, offering those with GPL library cards the option to check out books related to the Juneteenth holiday which were on display.

"We've had one person check out a book so far," said Grace Thomas, who works at GPL in circulation.

Earlier, Delgadillo had touched on how the event was about recognition.

"As a community we can say we're welcoming but it means a lot more when we have a way to recognize the contributions of our neighbors — especially our historically excluded neighbors," Delgadillo said in a statement on the city's website. "It's worth our time to say 'I'm glad for all my neighbors and I'm excited to build the future of our community together.'"

Steve Wilson is news editor for The Goshen News. You can reach him at steve.wilson@goshennews.com.