PHILADELPHIA, PA
June 10, 2021 – The Philadelphia Juneteenth Family is lighting up the Philadelphia skyline red, black and green for the second time from Sunday, June 13 through Saturday, June 19.
Many of Philadelphia’s well-known buildings will light up in the colors of red, black, and green each evening at dusk (approximately 8:30 pm every day). The days most buildings will be lit will be June 17 – 19.
You can see the Juneteenth Lights from June 13- 19 at the following locations: Philadelphia’s Boat House Row; Ben Franklin Bridge; Citizens Bank Park; Pennsylvania Convention Center; Lincoln Financial Field; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia International Airport control tower; Live! Casino in South Philadelphia; Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa.; Rivers Casino Philadelphia in Spring Garden; PECO Headquarters Crown Lights; Independent Blue Cross headquarters in Center City; FMC Tower, Cira Centre; Liberty Place One and Two; and light poles in the middle of North Broad Street in the area of Temple University.
Named in honor of the great exponent for Black autonomy and liberation, the Hon. Marcus Garvey, the Garvey Freedom Lights project in Philadelphia this year, is an inspiration to maintain the spark of unity, freedom, progress, and liberation he engendered in more than 12 million African Americans nearly 100 years ago, in 1923. It’s a celebration of the progress Blacks have made as a peo- ple and what we are doing moving forward.
The history of Juneteenth, which is being celebrated for the 156th year this month, stems from the fact that during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves beginning on January 1, 1863. However, enslaved Black people in Texas did not find out about being free until two years later when, on June 19th, 1865, Col. Gordon Granger made the announcement at a planta- tion in Galveston, TX.
Thousands of Black people continued being enslaved until that day. The news was received with extreme jubilation and celebration – and that day became known as JUNETEENTH – a conflation of June and the number 19.
Traditionally, Juneteenth was primarily celebrated in the South and Southwest and other parts of the United States with parades, cookouts, family reunions, entertainment, and other ceremonies. Three years ago, Juneteenth became a state holiday in Pennsylvania. It is also a City of Philadelphia official holiday, which will be celebrated this year on Saturday, June 19.
Look for announcements about additional events and celebrations around Philadelphia – both live and virtual.
