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Juneteenth, which honors the day when the last slaves finally received their freedom, will be commemorated in Fort Dodge with two celebrations.
The first will be Saturday at the home of Athletics for Education and Success. The second will be on June 17 at H.C. Meriwhether Park.
On Saturday, the doors of the AFES facility at 712 Third Ave. N.W. will open at 11 a.m. with the program starting at 11:30 a.m.
Fort Dodge City Councilman Quennel McCaleb and Demarcus Carter, the diversity, equity and inclusion chairman for the Iowa Democratic Party, will be the speakers.
Scholarship winners Javion Jondle and Layla Taylor will be recognized.
Black hero awards will be presented to former City Councilwoman Jane Burleson; William Miller, a former police officer; and Sam Mosley, a Fort Dodge Senior High School athletic standout.
The June 17 celebration will begin at 11 a.m. in the park on 10th Avenue Southwest.
State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines, will be the keynote speaker.There will also be basketball games, and music. More information on this event will be the Sunday edition of The Messenger.
Both of the celebrations will be in advance of Juneteenth, which is June 19.
June 19, 1865, is considered the day when the last slaves were set free following the Civil War. It is now a national holiday.