'It's our independence day': Elgin's Juneteenth festival is back

After a long hiatus, Elgin's Juneteenth festival is back.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.

“It's our independence day, the African American independence day,” said Shirley Bassett, event organizer and president of the African American Coalition of Kane County.

Observed on June 19, it marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and to proclaim and ensure all enslaved people were freed. The troops' arrival came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery. It was made a federal holiday in 2021.

This year's celebration will take place June 18 and 19 at Festival Park and will feature entertainment and live music, food, vendors and fun in the KidZone.

By the best of their recollection, the event's planners said, it's been about 15 years since a stand-alone Juneteenth festival has been held in Elgin.

AACKC founder Gertrude McClain organized Elgin's first celebration in 2001. She said no one at the time had any idea that Juneteenth existed.

“Everybody thought that I made it up,” she said. “I kept trying to tell them it was an actual holiday for African Americans.”

The momentum built over the next six years before they joined up as part of Elgin's iFest, which was last held in 2019.

They were gearing up to bring back the Juneteenth festival on its own for 2020 when the pandemic hit. Rather than cancel, they held a flag parade the next two years, with people driving through African American neighborhoods.

“People loved it,” McClain said.

A plan to include the car parade in this year's event was scuttled, but they have plenty going on over the weekend in Festival Park.

Live music from Harlan Jefferson, the Funk Brotherz and Accidentally On Purpose as well as a DJ battle is planned for Saturday. A “Gospel Explosion” takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, in addition to some Father's Day events.

That the event falls on Father's Day seems prophetic, given that McClain said Juneteenth is very much about family.

“Slavery separated a lot of families,” she said. “Juneteenth was a way for families to reconnect. That's why we view it as a day of celebration, as a way of bringing family back together, like a global reunion.”