HOLLAND, Mich. — Juneteenth celebrations are happening throughout West Michigan on Monday.
In Holland, I AM Academy, a nonprofit which helps dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and empowers black youth, is commemorating the day through education.
June 19, 1865 marks the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they were free. Juneteenth is now marked as a day to celebrate the emancipation of enslaved black people across the country.
The play and history talk on Monday wrap-up almost a week of Juneteenth celebrations hosted by I AM Academy.
Those included a children's story time, a black girl fashion show, a pre-party, a freedom festival and market.
"That Day: Juneteenth the Play" will run two performances on Monday. The first beginning at 2 p.m. and the second beginning at 4 p.m. at the Holland Community Theatre.
There will be a reception following the final performance.
From 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday at the Holland Museum, there will be a history talk with Tracee Bruce, the author of the book "Systems that Shape(d) Black America".
Organizers said the goal with these events is to educate those who may not know much about the day, and to help solidfy information others weren't sure of.
"We tend to use the phrase ‘It takes a village’ because we really, truly believe that it does," said I AM Academy Co-Founder and Executive Director Henry Cherry. "If more of us are having the conversations in those spaces and supporting and influencing, I just can’t help but think that Holland would be that much more welcoming and inviting for families coming in," he said.
For more information on the Juneteenth events taking place through I AM Academy, click here.
