Juneteenth Independence Day: What will be open and closed in and around Springfield
Juneteenth is a federal holiday and will be observed by most government agencies and schools on Monday.
The actual date of Juneteenth is June 19, the day the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston Bay, Texas, in 1865.
When a federal holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is the legal holiday.
President Joe Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021, marking the first new federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was approved in 1983.
Because it is a federal holiday, there is no U.S. Mail delivery and banks will be closed on June 20.
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Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 and went into effect Jan. 1, 1863, it wasn’t until about 2,000 Union troops marched into Texas and ensured slaves there were freed that slavery was considered officially over. Texas was the western-most Confederate state.
The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865 after the Civil War, freed enslaved people throughout the country.
Here is a list of what is open and what is closed in and around Springfield for Juneteenth:
Government offices and courts
Federal offices and courts, along with state of Illinois and Sangamon County offices and courts are all closed for Juneteenth.
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The clerk's office in the Sangamon County Building, 200 S. Ninth St., is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for early voting for the June 28 primary.
City of Springfield offices, including Lincoln Library, will be open Monday.
Schools
Springfield School District 186 offices will be closed for Juneteenth.
The University of Illinois Springfield campus will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 17 when offices will be closed and classes out of session.
The campuses of Lincoln Land Community College and Midwest Technical Institute will be open for Juneteenth.
Tourist sites
Tourist sites, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, will be open for Juneteenth.
Juneteenth celebrations
A Juneteenth parade steps off at Martin Luther King Drive and Brown Street at 10 a.m. June 18. It will proceed to Comer Cox Park, where a Juneteenth Celebration takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Juneteenth celebrations kick off with the Ivory Coast-born singer Natu Camara performing at the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series at the Y Block on June 16. Calia Cole and the Capitol City Dance Team are also on the bill.
On June 17, there is a "Free-ish Block Party" at Second Street and Capitol Avenue at 6 p.m.
The celebration will be capped on June 19 with the Fitness in the Park gathering at 9 a.m. and a revival at 10 a.m., both at Comer Cox Park.
The Illinois State Museum hosts the art exhibition "NOIR II: The Migration" through Sept. 6. The exhibition is in collaboration with Springfield's Juneteenth, Inc., and national artists and co-curators, Korbin "Kas" King and Michelle "Micki" Smith. NOIR II is an exhibition of Black art by people of color depicting the migration of Black Americans.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Juneteenth in Springfield, IL: What's open and closed for holiday
