By Reena Alsakaji
SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (June 15, 2022) – After holding two unity walks promoting social justice and racial equality in recent years, the South Holland-based Micah 6:8 group is preparing to hold their first celebratory event this Saturday, June 18, in honor of Juneteenth. The event will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the future campus of Unity Christian Academy in South Holland, and will offer the public a free chance to gain knowledge on Juneteenth and Black History.
Saturday’s event
The Micah 6:8 group is made up of residents located in South Holland who hope to fight for justice; the celebration of Juneteenth has been an event in the works for months, in commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The group plans to celebrate with music, food, and education, and the event will hold a guest speaker, Useni Eugene Perkins, author of Hey Black Child. During the event, attendees can look at and read created items that contain information about Black History in the United States, and they have the opportunity to share their visions for the future. The Jesse White Tumblers and the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project will also be present at the event.
“Our motto for Micah 6:8 is celebrate, educate, participate,” Lisa Meeks, member of the Micah 6:8 group and one of the event’s organizers, said. “People are not familiar with Juneteenth. We’re trying to make people aware of what surrounds it and why it’s so important. We’ve created things for people to read and to learn and a whole history of where African American history began in the United States. We want to make sure the whole story is shared. Our goal is to educate but also to move to the next step and actually participate in ways that will hopefully bring about racial equality and to fight injustices that are prevalent in our communities.”
Education and celebration
The group hopes their celebratory Juneteenth event will promote the idea of “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly,” which comes from the Bible verse Micah 6:8, where the group gets its name.
“We just want to get people together and build awareness,” Meeks said. “Bring people out to celebrate and to enjoy each other’s company, people who are curious about what Juneteenth might be about but also just want to learn. We want to get a little bit of momentum started and hopefully this leads to more engagement with other people in our community that have the same vision and hope and maybe something will come out of it.”
The event will take place from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the future campus of Unity Christian Academy, located at 700 E. 170th Street in South Holland. Free parking is available at the event.
Related
- South Holland hosts Unity Walk for second year (June 20, 2021)
- South Holland community marches in “Unity Walk” (June 30, 2020)
