June 15, 2023 – This year’s Juneteenth celebrations, hosted by the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society of Illinois (AACGS), will kick off Friday, June 16, with dinner and a guest speaker at Richland Community College.
John Ashworth, the Executive Director of The Lynching Sites Project of Memphis, will speak about his work and Juneteenth’s significance. Previous AACGS board members will be recognized and special recognition will be made to Dr. Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua, an African-American Studies professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, for his research into Samuel J. Bush.
The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. in Richland Community College’s Shilling Center, and dinner will be served. Juneteenth activities sponsored by the AACGS will continue Saturday, June 17, starting with a parade in Central Park at noon.
