The Black Scranton Project will hold its 6th annual Juneteenth Jubilee Block Party Thursday from 2-8 p.m. at the organization’s Center for Arts and Culture at 1902 N. Main Ave.
Celebrated annually on June 19 and officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth marks the day, June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people there that they were free. It came 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered, effectively ending the Civil War.
Pennsylvania designated Juneteenth as a state holiday in 2019.
The block party again takes place today at the Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture, a 1926 landmark former bank at 1902 N. Main Ave. in Providence Square in Scranton.
The event also marks the sixth anniversary of the creation of the Black Scranton Project, which was incorporated as a nonprofit on June 19, 2019 by founder and CEO Glynis Johns.
The BSP jubilee has become the fourth largest Juneteenth celebration in the state, attracting hundreds of people and featuring live music, free roller skating, cultural performances, food vendors and family-friendly fun, according to the BSP.
“This is more than just a party — it’s a celebration of resilience, freedom, and the power of coming together,” the organization says on its website.
Scenes from the 2024 Juneteenth Jubilee Block Party at the Black Scranton Project. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
The celebration will continue on Friday and Sunday with the following events:
• The Black Scranton Punk Fest with live music from 2-6 p.m. at the BSP Center for Arts and Culture, 1902 N. Main Ave.
• A Juneteenth Church Service on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Bethel AME Church, 716 N. Washington Ave.
• A Juneteenth Brunch on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the BSPCAC, 1902 N. Main Ave.
For more information, see blackscranton.org.