WELLINGTON, Fla. — Next week is Juneteenth, a time to commemorate the day the last group of enslaved Black people were freed in Texas, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The holiday gained more national attention last summer after protests on racial injustice and inequalities in America surfaced.
On June 19, better known as Juneteenth, performers will be hitting the stage for the Village of Wellington's first in-person celebration of Juneteenth.
In the Village of Wellington, planning is in progress.
"It’s just going to be wildly entertaining," said Shalonda Warren, the CEO of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast "It’s actually the most common blood disorder in the world.”
Even more so for people of color.
"One in 12 African Americans in this country carry the sickle cell trait," Warren said.
The foundation is partnering with the Village of Wellington to bring awareness to the disease. On June 19, the village will host Redteenth, recognizing the challenges of Sickle Cell while commemorating the day union soldiers traveled to Texas to free the last group of enslaved Black people in the United States, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
"Provide a basis of celebration for a segment of our community that previously did not have that opportunity. While everybody can feel comfortable attending a July 4th celebration this is something that hopefully everyone will feel comfortable and enjoy as well," Warren said. "Even though people will come to be entertained, they will leave edified.”
For more information about the Redteenth event, click here.