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Juneteenth Festival happening this weekend in Beverly, Morgan Park neighborhoods
Events celebrating Juneteenth are taking place this weekend, including the Juneteenth Family Festival happening Saturday in Beverly and Morgan Park.
The free festival is expected to draw more than 5,000 people. There will be vendors, free entertainment, basketball tournaments, and more.
The festival's founder, Shanya Gray, explained why she chose to host it in Beverly and Morgan Park.
"One of the first things I've learned about Beverly was that it was an integrated neighborhood, it was a diverse neighborhood," she said. "But as I moved there, I learned that it didn't always celebrate everybody who resided in that community, and so myself, coming from the island of Barbados, and having two African American boys, I wanted to ensure that my sons and my family felt included and celebrated in this community.
Juneteenth celebrates the day the last slaves in Texas found out they were free. It was two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Juneteenth Family Festival will run from noon until 7 p.m. at 110th and Longwood in the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods.
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