Staff reports

The annual Juneteenth celebration hosted by the Effingham County NAACP will be held Saturday, June 15 on the campus of the former Springfield Central High School, 434 Wallace Dr., Springfield.

The event, as much a celebration as it is educational, will run from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. In addition to speakers and other events, there will be vendors, food trucks, and activities for all ages.

Juneteenth marks the day, June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take over the state and ensure that the formerly enslaved people were declared free – more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2021 to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

For more information about the Juneteenth celebration in Springfield, contact Lucy Powell at 912-772-3515 or Gladys Smalls at 912-441-7169.