Looking for another Juneteenth event? Here’s one happening in downtown Tacoma

The city of Tacoma and the Tacoma Art Museum will host an evening filled with interactive activities, performances and a community resource fair in recognition of Juneteenth.

The second annual “Juneteenth: Freedom Celebration” will be held 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, at Tollefson Plaza downtown.

“Juneteenth is a celebration of human freedom, a reflection on the grievous and ongoing legacy of slavery, and a rededication to rooting out the systemic racism that continues to plague our communities,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards in a news release.

The event will feature performances from Emmy-nominated spoken word poet and Tacoma’s Poet Laureate Christian Paige and dance group The Artist Collective. Deputy Mayor Kristina Walker and Human Rights Commissioner C. Ivan Johnson will speak.

People will be able to add their hand print to the Black Lives Mural that was designed by mural artist Dionne Bonner. The mural in Tollefson Plaza was designed and created by a group of local Black visual, multimedia, photography and interdisciplinary artists, according to BLM Mural Project-Tacoma.

People will be able to purchase authentic Bajan cuisine from the Bajan Station Caribbean Food Truck.

The Tacoma Art Museum will be hosting its Free Thursday Neighborhood Market during the event and will give people free admission to the museum.

The event is family-friendly and an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the significance of Juneteenth as well as the Black community, said Lisa Woods, director of the city’s Office of Equity and Human Rights.

“This is also an opportunity to experience the creative brilliance of our Black community, and share our Black community’s heritage and culture,” Woods said in the news release.

Evergreen State College’s Tacoma location will also host a free Juneteenth celebration on its campus June 11 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

There are other Juneteenth events happening in Pierce County this year. Juneteenth festivals will be held in Wright Park and Stewart Heights Park in the following days after the City of Tacoma’s event.