CHARDON, Ohio — Today is Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The day marks when word of emancipation reached people in the deepest parts of the former confederacy in Galveston, Texas. Cleveland is joining the history lesson with a history celebration.
The socially distanced eventwill happen Friday night at Mayfield Road Theater in Chardon from 8 p.m. until 1:30 a.m.
Organizer Larese Purnell said this event is a way to move forward, while recognizing past injustices.
“Receive freedom, and of course, segregation and we're not talking about 100 years ago, what we're talking about 50, a little over 50 years ago and then what's going on today. We're not far removed from a lot of the challenges that we've had for hundreds of years," Purnell said.
There will be music, fireworks, black-owned food trucks and the film “Just Mercy” will be shown.
"We need something that's going to create a celebratory feeling. Something positive but get the message across and be clear: even in all that, we still want to make sure that the message resonates," he said.
The event is free and open to everyone. The NAACP will talk about the census, voting and financial education.
