The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is celebrating Juneteenth in a big way. The Iron City organization is ringing in the holiday with their Juneteenth: A Celebration of the Culture event on Saturday, June 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will take place along 16th Street between 3rd and 6th Avenue.
The celebration offers a multitude of activities relating to music, arts, dance, wellness, history, heritage, STEAM enrichment, personal development, sports and a car show. The organization is also offering classes such as genealogy where participants can learn how to trace their ancestry and search one of the largest databases in the world.
Dr. Samantha Briggs is the Vice President of Education at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. She said celebrating Juneteenth is important to honor the history of those who have fought for the rights of Black Americans.
“It is just a very intentional opportunity to remember the major significance in our American history, showing us that freedom and racial equality has always been a hard-fought battle, and it's one that we collectively have to do,” Briggs said.
Briggs said celebrating Juneteenth is something that all Americans can do to honor the holiday and its importance in American history.
“This is not necessarily just a holiday for African Americans. This isn't a holiday just for historians, or just for those individuals who enjoy learning about civil and human rights history,” Briggs said. “This is America's history. This is something that we all have to embrace. It's something that we all have to continue to teach future generations about.”
Briggs said this celebration presents visitors with the chance to learn about the history behind the holiday, and work to continue bridging the gap for people of color in America.
“I just think it's a really unique opportunity to be able to come in and have history come to life, to remember, you know, as opposed to ignore or to set aside,” Briggs said. “We have indeed come a very far way, but we still have a great deal of work to continuously do as a people.”
For more information about Juneteenth: A Celebration for the Culture, click here.
