CHISHOLM — The Fourth of July is not a day that all people were free, said Seraphia Gravelle, co-director of Voices for Ethnic & Multicultural Awareness.
"And so we celebrate Juneteenth because … it really is the day that all people here have become free,” Gravelle said on the KAXE Morning Show, Thursday June 8.
Long celebrated in the Black community, Juneteeth commemorates the day on which the last remaining slaves in the United States learned they were free in 1865. It was recognized as an official federal holiday by the Biden administration in 2021 and Minnesota passed a bill establishing Juneteenth as a state-recognized holiday in 2023. According to the new law, public business cannot be conducted in observance of the holiday.
This year’s celebration on the Iron Range is 11 a.m.-3 p.m Sunday, June 18, on Lake Street in Chisholm. The day includes cornhole tournaments, a dunk tank, bounce houses, chess tournaments, musical chairs and food options and vendors provided by Black-owned businesses.
“We really want to highlight these businesses in the area,” Gravelle said. “A lot of these folks are the first, you know, the first Black-owned businesses in the area.”
Big O’s Chef House will be back in partnership with Jim’s Sports Club Bar and Grill and will offer menu items like ribs, brisket, greens, macaroni and cheese, beans and all the good stuff, according to Gravelle.
If weather permits, the celebration will include an attempt to fly 158 kites, along with other Juneteenth celebrations in the state. The number 158 signifies the number of years it’s been since the first Juneteenth.
The organization known as VEMA has the stated mission to uplift the voices of all people in the community who experience racism, discrimination, injustice or prejudice. The group was founded in the spring of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Its mission is to bridge the gap between all cultures in communities on the Iron Range.
It hosts events like block parties, back-to-school haircut events and the annual Juneteenth celebration. It also provides a physical space in downtown Chisholm for people to gather and share stories and resources.
The public is invited to attend, volunteer and get involved in VEMA. Find more information on the group’s Facebook page.
Other local Juneteenth celebrations
- Grand Rapids — Circles of Support and Itasca County Health and Human Services present their next Big View community engagement event 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday, June 16, with a Juneteenth Freedom Walk. The 2.5-mile walk symbolizes the two and a half years it took for the news of freedom to reach all enslaved people in the U.S. The route begins at Central School and will circle Crystal Lake. There will be a free picnic lunch on the Central School lawn with Glows Kitchen. Free and open to the public but registration is required.
- Bemidji — Project for Change will host its fifth annual Bemidji Juneteenth celebration. The event will be 3 p.m. Monday, June 19, at the Diamond Building in Diamond Point Park. It will include food, music, guest speakers, vendors and community. Come out for a family-friendly, free public event.
