Nathan Whitehead stood on the grass and smiled Thursday as he watched children running and playing outside at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.
Whitehead, 59, drove to Chicago Thursday morning with a busload of about 50 people, bringing children and others from the city of Freeport to celebrate Juneteenth at the museum’s annual community celebration.
It was the first time some of the children had ever visited the museum, which offered free admission Thursday. Whitehead said it’s also one of the first times he has celebrated Juneteenth.
“It’s becoming more of a popular holiday,” he said. “It’s taken a different meaning as we get older, and it’s a great day to celebrate.”
The museum’s annual barbecue, running from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. across DuSable’s campus, was one of several events held in Chicago on Thursday to commemorate Juneteenth.
For many, the celebrations felt even more important this year as President Trump axes diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, the day when the last enslaved African Americans living in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed. The date came two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021.
Perri Irmer, president and CEO of DuSable, said there’s excitement about celebrating Juneteenth this year — but it’s also laced with a solemn tone given the current political environment.
“Our history is under attack. Education is under attack,” Irmer said. “Juneteenth is not a Black holiday — it’s an American holiday. And Black history is American history. You can’t have the American story told accurately without also telling the African story.”
The museum is offering a year-long course Introduction to African American Studies, with a different topic explored every month. June’s topic is Black power, which Irmer said includes Black knowledge, history and economic power.
That theme was woven into the museum’s events on Thursday, which included the Mansa Musa Marketplace, a panel on the role of religion in the Black Power movement and a session on the the power of community ownership in commercial real estate, hosted by the Diverse Developers Conference.
Cherita Parrish was one of the vendors participating in the market. Parrish, of Naperville, arrived at DuSable at 7:30 a.m. to set up a booth for her small business, Decor by Cherita P.
It was Parrish’s first time participating in the market and coming to the DuSable’s annual barbecue. She’d only made one sale by noon, but she said there were others who promised to come back later and buy one of her handmade wreaths.
Naperville was hosting its own Juneteenth celebration, but Parrish said it “feels right” to be at DuSable for the holiday.
“Somebody told me this is a good place to come,” Parrish said. “Plus, it’s historic. You have the DuSable Museum, it’s all about celebrating our freedom. What better place to have a Juneteenth Celebration than at the DuSable?”
Dominique Steward also traveled from the suburbs to attend the day-long barbecue.
Steward, who grew up in Chicago but now lives in suburban Glen Ellyn, said she used to visit the museum as a child. Coming back for Juneteenth this year “hits different” because of attacks on DEI and minority groups at the federal level, she said.
But seeing so many people from across the area attend the event made the day memorable, Steward said. She was waiting for more friends to arrive as the barbecue stretched into the afternoon.
“It shows how far we’ve come as a nation,” Steward said. “It makes these moments so much more special to see the solidarity.”