Juneteenth Celebration returns to Kokomo
Housing Authority, Carver Center team up for third annual event; Pettigrew to be honored
Juneteenth may not be the most recognizable holiday. For many it suddenly sprang into existence a couple of years ago. But the date has been celebrated for more than 40 years. In Kokomo, Juneteenth will be a big event for a third consecutive year, thanks to the Kokomo Housing Authority and the Carver Community Center.
The Juneteenth Celebration will take place on Saturday, June 19, In Studebaker Park from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and there will be something for just about everyone to enjoy.
“We’ll have plenty of food,” said KHA Director Derick Steele. “We’ll have service providers there who can help people connect with various services. And we’ll have live entertainment.”
“We’ll have a whole range of music and entertainment,” added Carver Community Center Director Donta Rogers. “We’ll also have a kids’ zone with a jump house and a dunk tank.”
Local artist J.C. Barnett III will hold a directed painting activity at 2:30 p.m. at no charge to participants, and KHA will be giving away 400 tickets to the Kokomo Jackrabbits game that evening at 6:30 p.m. which will feature a fireworks display.
“We’ll hand out the tickets to kids who attend our celebration,” said Steele.
The event is free, though there will be a few activities that are pay to participate, such as throwing balls at the dunk tank. And transportation will be provided for residents of Garden Square Apartments to and from the event.
Kokomo’s Juneteenth Celebration came about on short notice in 2020. Steele and Rogers put the first event together on a week’s notice in the middle of a pandemic. And it found success.
“On June 12, 2020, I got a call to do something for Juneteenth,” said Steele. “I did research and learned that there were no community-wide celebrations of the event. It was never something I was taught about in school or something I had heard of, so I reached out to Danta and asked what we could throw together in a week.
“So, we did it. We held it at Garden Square, and it was an absolute success, considering we had one week to get it ready in the middle of a pandemic. The mayor came out and said he hoped we would hold it again, and so we will continue to put on this event as long as Danta and I are able to be involved in it.”
Rogers believes the event provides an opportunity for the community to learn and unite as well as celebrate.
“It will educate the community,” said Rogers. “The younger generation don’t know anything about Juneteenth, about breaking the chains. We want to break down barriers and bring the community together. It is a great community, but we still have growth we can do to make it even better. What better way to do that than to use Juneteenth as a showcase to celebrate?”
Juneteenth also serves as an outreach program. KHA traditionally has held a service provider fair during which people can connect to providers and get help they may not have known was available. That effort was folded into Juneteenth. The event will feature 22 service providers.
“We have a lot of people in the community who do great things, but many are unaware of the services provided and may need them,” said Steele. “This is an event where you can be put in touch with those services.”
There is one more aspect to the Juneteenth Celebration that the community will want to embrace. The second Breaking Chains Award will be given at the event; this year, to community activist Bobby Pettigrew, posthumously.
“The purpose of the Breaking Chains Award is to recognize individuals and groups that have made a significant impact on breaking the chains of oppressive systems while bringing people together to improve our community as a whole,” said Steele. “The first Breaking Chains Award was bestowed upon Carver Community Center for its longstanding devotion to our community.
“All who knew Bobby need no explanation as to why he is deserving of this award. Those who did not have the pleasure of knowing Bobby should know he worked to uplift Kokomo and in particular the community around Studebaker Park. Bobby helped organize regular community block parties. Bobby was a devoted advocate of all things Kokomo.
“He created or was associated with numerous groups that highlighted the achievements of his community, particularly young athletes. Bobby was a star athlete a Kokomo High School, but his impact as a coach and mentor far exceeded any throw of a shotput or run of a football he had as an athlete. Bobby’s life was cut short in the fall of 2021, but his legacy and impact will last for many lifetimes.“
Juneteenth celebrates the news of emancipation finally reaching Texas some 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect. Juneteenth today “celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures.”
Service providers that will be on-hand at the Juneteenth celebration:
Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center; Kokomo Police Department; Family Service Association of Howard County, Inc.; Turning Point SOC; Community Howard Regional Health; Four County; Asa Philip Randolph Institute Kokomo Chapter; Bona Vista Early Head Start; Kokomo Rescue Mission; On My Way Pre-K; Girl Scouts of Central Indiana; Indiana Civil Rights Commission; Howard County Sheriff's Department; Kokomo-Howard County Public Library; Minority Health Alliance of Howard County; The Excel Center; Howard County Tobacco & Vape Free; Kokomo Housing Authority; Carver Community Center, Inc.; Douglass School; League of Women Voters Howard County Area; and NAACP Kokomo Branch.
Vendors at the event include:
Essie D Foster; Heavenly Health and Wellness; Fashions On The Go; Kokomo Housing Authority; Carver Community Center, Inc.; Indiana Black Expo; and Hometeam Ice Cream.
Sponsors of the Juneteenth Celebration include:
Kokomo Glass Shop, Inc.; Kokomo Jackrabbits; Family Service Association of Howard County, Inc.; Goudy Brothers Boiler Co Inc.; Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union; Sound of Music; Kitts Trucking; Community Howard Regional Health; City of Kokomo; YMCA; J & J Electric of Indiana, Inc.; AFSCME Local #2185; Redeemer Lutheran School; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Kokomo; Indiana Heartland Federal Credit Union; Carver Community Center, Inc.; Douglass School; Kokomo Housing Authority; First Farmers Bank and Trust; Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #078