Juneteenth Freedom Day Event at Campus Park
RIO RANCHO, N.M. –The City of Rio Rancho and the NAACP
Rio Rancho Northwest Mesa Branch are excited to host Rio Rancho’s inaugural Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration on Friday, June 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Campus Park at City Center.
“I am absolutely delighted that our great city will honor and celebrate this American holiday,” said Rio Rancho City Councilor Karissa Culbreath. “Juneteenth is a wonderful opportunity for the entire community to participate in this celebration of joy and freedom.”
This event is free to the public and will feature food,
activities, live music, and a beer garden. There will also be vendor booths and
community services booths on hand for event attendees to purchase goods and
receive information about healthcare and other community/social services.
“We are excited to partner with the City of Rio Rancho on this year’s truly historic Juneteenth celebration,” said Cate Stetson, president of the Rio Rancho Northwest Mesa branch of the NAACP. “This is the second year Juneteenth has been recognized as an official national holiday. We welcome that recognition. We also hope it inspires people to carry the spirit of Juneteenth—acknowledging freedom and equality for all U.S. citizens—with them throughout the year.”
Additional Information
The event is subject to weather, and may be canceled due to
such conditions as rain, wind, lightning, or public health orders. Admission is
free. Parking and park seating space is available on a first come, first served
basis. Blankets, umbrellas, and coolers are permitted. Food vendors will be
on-site. No glass, outside alcoholic beverages, or individual grills will be
allowed. Live music starts at 5:30 p.m. Visitors can access City Center via
Unser Boulevard/King Boulevard and Paseo del Volcan/Broadmoor Boulevard.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger issued General’s Orders Number 3 in Galveston, Texas to ensure that all enslaved people would be freed. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation being signed two and a half years earlier, Black people were still being held as slaves in Texas. Following the Civil War, the Union Army was sent to ensure that all people, in every state, would be free. Communities throughout the United States have continued to celebrate Juneteenth. Texas became the first state to name Juneteenth as an official holiday in 1979 and on June 17, 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Day was made a federal holiday.
For more information about this event, please visit www.rrnm.gov/juneteenth.
