Aurora celebrating Juneteenth with a weekend full of activities

The City of Aurora will host several Juneteenth activities leading up to the holiday and on Monday, Jan. 19.

On Wednesday, June 14, the Aurora Police Department and the Aurora African American Heritage Board will unveil a culturally custom-wrapped vehicle in honor of Juneteenth.

It will be at 11 a.m. at the police department, 1200 E. Indian Trail Road.

The car will stop by Juneteenth events in Aurora and travel throughout the community on regular duty.

On Friday, June 16, more than 100 Black fraternities and sorority members will distribute food to 1,000 families at the third annual Juneteenth Weekend Food Giveaway,

This partnership with the City of Aurora and the Northern Illinois Food Bank will begin at 9 a.m. at Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive.

On Saturday, June 17, African American of Unity will host the 22nd annual Juneteenth Celebration with educational, empowering, and entertaining speakers and performers, free food, children's activities, and more than 30 vendors.

It will be 3 to 7 p.m. at Martin Luther King Park, 42 N. Farnsworth Ave.

On Monday, June 19, Aurora area youth will have an empowering and educational experience for young leaders in middle school, high school, and college, complete with inspiring and informative sessions designed to help them grow and develop as an individual. The Juneteenth Youth Summit will be 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at One Aurora Plaza, 8 E. Galena Blvd.

At 1 p.m. outside One Aurora Plaza, the second annual Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony will feature remarks from the youngest Black mayor in the nation, Mayor Jaylen Smith of Early Arkansas; a presentation of the Heritage and Excellence Awards; and a special performance by the South Shore Drill Team.