A free program at First United Methodist Church will explore the history, symbols and food traditions of Juneteenth, including Kansas communities’ long-running Emancipation Day celebrations.
Donna Rae Pearson, a historian and researcher of African American heritage in Kansas, will present “The Taste of Freedom: A Juneteenth Foodways Journey” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at the church, 946 Vermont St. It’s free to attend and no registration is required.
Pearson will trace the story of Juneteenth from emancipation to its modern observance, highlighting celebrations of freedom held in African American communities across Kansas before Juneteenth became a national holiday.
The presentation will also examine key symbols of the holiday and its contemporary expression through large community events and communal meals that echo Black family reunions.
Audience members will hear about popular Juneteenth foods and will have an opportunity to try a “celebration red drink,” according to event information from the Watkins Museum of History.
Attendees should enter through the double doors beneath the canopy on the Vermont Street side of the church. The presentation will take place in the sanctuary.
The event is part of “Kansas Folklife: Celebration Kansas Traditions,” included in “By the People: Beyond 250,” a national initiative of the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. It’s also part of the Watkins Museum’s Civil War on the Border series; see more events at this link.
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