East St. Louis kicks off holiday weekend with 618 Day, Juneteenth celebrations
East St. Louis kicked off the Juneteenth holiday with a parade through the city on Thursday — and the events continue Friday.
The general mood of Thursday’s event was celebratory, with a massive, city-wide party to commemorate both “618 Day” in honor of the metro-east’s area code and Juneteenth as parts of the city’s heritage.
Shavon Wilson, the Illinois state director of Juneteenth, said that both are important to the people of East St. Louis.
“There would be no 618 Day if we did not have 619 first,” Wilson said.
The parade departed from East St. Louis Senior High School and traveled three and a half miles down State Street, concluding at City Hall in a Juneteenth flag raising ceremony and a block party nearby. The high school band led the procession, followed by an array of vehicles with Juneteenth flags, Flyers orange and blue, and other personalized color schemes.
Friday’s event, the Juneteenth Freedom and Unity Festival, starts at 11 a.m. at Jones Park. The free and family-friendly festival features food, live DJs, activities for kids and cultural events, such as spoken word poetry.
Both events are sponsored by Community Development Sustainable Solutions, or CDSS, an East St. Louis-based nonprofit.
CDSS is well-known in the city, region and nation for providing employment and development programs, as well as hosting events that celebrate the Black community, such as their annual Ms. Juneteenth competition.
Stephanie Bush, the organization’s president, is involved in multiple other commissions involving Juneteenth at state and federal levels. Bush’s organization has been instrumental in bringing Juneteenth to the attention of elected officials.
“We’re always continuing our mission of going to municipalities and townships to educate about Juneteenth,” Bush said. “A lot of places here and throughout Illinois don’t know about or don’t acknowledge Juneteenth. We’re going to their communities and speaking to their elected officials to get them to sign proclamations recognizing the holiday.”
Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday and celebrates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the enslaved population that they were free. It marks the end of slavery in the United States.
Bush says that continuing to honor the legacy and impact of Black Americans is beneficial to everyone in the country, not just those of African descent.
“This fight is for everyone, and people have always been able to see when actions against our fellow human are wrong,” Bush said.
“The brown skin people on this globe and in this country have a huge disparity when it comes to our right to thrive, and if we are only as strong as our weakest link, then addressing these injustices and lifting up our people isn’t just due diligence for Black people but beneficial to everyone in the long run.”
