What is Juneteenth? Emancipation? How did enslaved Africans fight for their freedom? 

Juneteenth Timeline

You just might be surprised.

The festival consists of three components: 

• A conference on Friday, June 19th from 9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. Featuring panel discussions, workshops, networking opportunities and Q&A's with special guests like publisher, Dr. Haki Madhubuti of Third World Press, the longest running independent black- owned publishing company in the United States; Dr. Brenda Greene, the founder and executive director of The Center of Black Literature and English Department Chair at Medgar Evers College at The City University of New York (CUNY); Gabriel "Asheru" Benn, Senior Education Consultant and Hip Hop Artist;Marita Golden, renown author and writing coach, and Nikki Woods, Senior Producer for the Tom Joyner Morning Show and marketing guru and more!.  There will also be a National Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony honoring our African American Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony on schedule, sponsored by the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF), in cooperation with the National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS).

• An awards cocktail gala with special host the Honorable Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton also on Friday, June 19th from 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. at the Library of Congress at Madison Hall.

• The main event is set to be held on Saturday, June 20th at the US government's Anacostia National Park. The free family-focused outdoor event will feature over 20 different visual literacy experiences targeting various age groups.