Aurora will conclude a week of activities to honor Juneteenth with two events on the holiday itself on Wednesday.
From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the annual Juneteenth Youth Summit will bring together nearly 150 Black youth from the Aurora area for a morning of educational workshops at North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, city officials said in a press release.
The event will include workshops on college planning, financial preparation, interacting with the police and a conversation with Black superintendents of Aurora school districts, according to the release.
Then, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, youth summit participants will join community members at the annual Aurora Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony, named in honor of the late Scheketa Hart-Burns, a longtime Aurora City Council member who passed away unexpectedly on Juneteenth last year.
The flag-raising ceremony at One Aurora Plaza, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, will feature a presentation of the annual proclamation and heritage awards, guest speakers Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, commander of the Illinois National Guard and the first Black person to hold the post, and ABC 7 News Culture and Race Reporter Jasmine Minor; and entertainment from saxophonist Derek Tate, Dream Dance Academy and 40+ Double Dutch Club, city officials said.
Students who attended the Juneteenth Youth Summit earlier in the day will be recognized at the flag-raising event for their achievements, according to officials.
For more on Aurora’s Juneteenth activities, go to www.aurora-il.org/Juneteenth2024