Mosaic Templars kicks off “Juneteenth in Da Rock” activities on June 18

June 13-19, 2022

By The Daily Record Staff

 

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (MTCC) will kick off a full slate of “Juneteenth in Da Rock” activities on Saturday, June 18, at various locations around downtown Little Rock. Those activities are among dozens of observances in central Arkansas and across the state celebrating the nation’s newest federal holiday.

 

A year ago, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law establishing June 19 as a legal public holiday starting in 2022. The new act establishes the first federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created. 

 

Long celebrated by African Americans across the South, Juneteenth commemorates when Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas on June 19, 1865, nearly three years after President Abraham Lincoln had signed the historic law.

 

In a ceremony at the White House on June 17, 2021, both Biden and Harris commemorated the new federal holiday by noting the impact that slavery has had on the nation. Harris, who presides over the U.S. Senate as vice president, thanked her former Senate colleagues who backed the historic legislation.

 

“These are days when we, as a nation, have decided to stop and take stock and often to acknowledge our history,” said Harris. “We have come far. And we have far to go. But today is a day of celebration. It is not only a day of pride. It is also a day for us to reaffirm and re-dedicate ourselves to action.”

 

Juneteenth in Da Rock is a free event sponsored by MTCC in observance of the federal holiday that is all about African American history and culture in Arkansas.

Some of the local Juneteenth festivities include: • Juneteenth 5K Walk/Run     (registration required)  • Live Music including MC Lyte and Evvie McKinney • Street Food/Vendors (items available for purchase)

 

To register for the 5K, visit JuneteenthLittleRock.com. This is a chip timed race being coordinated in partnership with the Little Rock Marathon on a route that will take participants through some of Little Rock’s most historic African American neighborhoods, including past Central High School and through the campus of Philander Smith College.

 

MTCC is proud of the partners who are helping to make this event happen, including Building Black Communities fund for giving 40 free vendor booths to their grant recipients, Arkansas Minority Health Commission for supporting our Yoga in Da Park event and various organizations across the state for hosting their own Juneteeth celebrations.

 

Several businesses in the SoMa district are supporting Juneteenth in Da Rock by donating a portion of their sales from June 18. These businesses include Community Bakery, Esse Purse Museum, AR-Tee’s/Electric Ghost, The Green Corner Store, Loblolly Creamery and Pink Olive. 

 

Music has also long been a key part of MTCC’s Juneteenth activities. This year, guests will enjoy actress, rapper and DJ MC Lyte and national gospel artist and Stellar award nominee Evvie McKinney, winner of the inaugural season of The Four: Battle for Stardom.

 

At the museum, visitors can also enjoy MTCC’s newest exhibit, “And the Beat Don’t Stop: 50 Years of Hip-Hop,” running now through Friday, July 1.

 

Also taking place at The Hall is the free University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Education Station and Kid Zone and the MTCC Education Station complete with displays where families can learn about the history of Juneteenth and experience interactive hands-on fun. 

 

MTCC will also host virtual programming titled “The State of Black Arkansas” with topics including health, economics, food and community.

 

For a complete schedule of events for Juneteenth across the state, visit our Juneteenth in Da Rock events page here: https://www.arkansasheritage.com/blog/dah/2022/05/31/juneteenth-around-the-state.

 

MTCC receives support in production of Juneteenth from the Friends of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a nonprofit that supports the museum through fundraising efforts. Additional support comes in part from the Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council, Arkansas Medical Dental and Pharmaceutical Association, Let’s Do Launch and US Bank.

 

For more information about Juneteenth, please contact Quantia “Key” Fletcher, museum director, at 501-683-5983 or quantia.fletcher@arkansas.gov.

 

Below is a list of other Juneteenth activities taking place across Central Arkansas:

 

Central Arkansas

• Juneteenth the Experience: A Moment in History, 10 a.m. Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock 

 

• Juneteenth in the Park, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.2101 E Front St., Lonoke

 

• Wear Art Thou Paint Experience Juneteenth, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Majestic Motions Art Studio 300 Rivermarket Ave., Little Rock

 

• Conway Juneteenth Freedom, 3-6 p.m. 1234 Main St., Conway

 

• Benton Juneteenth, 4-8 p.m. Ralph Bunche Park 1300 S. East St., Benton

 

• Benton Downtown Farmers Market 125 W. Ashely Street, Benton

 

• Juneteenth Arkansas Festival, 7-9 p.m. Interstate Park 3900 S Arch St., Little Rock

 

• Juneteenth Stone Soul Picnic, 4 p.m. Riverfront Park Drive, North Little Rock  

 

Photo Captions:

 

1. Central Arkansas and the rest of the U.S. will celebrate the nation's newest holiday on June 19. Juneteenth, signed into law by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021, commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. that originated in Galveston, Texas.

 

2. During the 2021 Juneteenth celebration, ReMix Ideas and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship partnered with the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association to launch "Shop Black @ Wright Avenue" to promote Black-owned local businesses.

 

  • 1.
    1.
  • 2.
    2.