PEORIA, IL (June 2, 2025)—The Peoria Park District, in collaboration with the City of Peoria, Peoria’s Miss Juneteenth Pageant, NAACP Peoria Branch, The YANI Collective, Southside Community Center and Heritage Ensemble, held a Joint Press Conference on Thursday, June 5 at Peoria Freedom & Remembrance Memorial Park, 3917 SW Adams, Peoria, IL.
This press conference highlighted several Juneteenth events organized by local partners—part of a larger tapestry of celebrations honoring Black history, culture, and community throughout Peoria. Running June 7–21, 2025 these events feature pageants, parades, festivals, and family-friendly gatherings organized by local partners and hosted at iconic Peoria venues. Together, these events serve to educate, empower, and unite our community through storytelling, music, art, and shared reflection.
Representatives from each partner organization, along with Mayor Rita Ali and President Robert L. Johnson Sr. , were in attendance at the press conference to speak about their event and the shared significance of honoring Juneteenth in Peoria.
Event Lineup
Click here for a full list of events.
Peoria’s Miss Juneteenth Pageant
Saturday, June 7, 3:00–6:00 PM
Location: Carver Center
Organizer: Peoria’s Miss Juneteenth
Ernestine Jackson Juneteenth Freedom Parade
Saturday, June 14, 12:00 PM
Location: NAACP Peoria Branch Building
Organizer: NAACP Peoria Branch
Juneteenth Fest: Black Wall Street
Saturday, June 14, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Location: John H. Gwynn Jr. Park
Organizer: The YANI Collective
26th Annual Juneteenth Father’s Day Choral Celebration
Sunday, June 15, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Location: Illinois Central College Performing Arts Center
Organizer: Heritage Ensemble
Jubilee Day: A Juneteenth Celebration
Wednesday, June 19, 1:00–9:00 PM
Location: Glen Oak Park
Organizer: Peoria Park District
Freedom Fest 2025
Friday, June 21, 12:00–4:00 PM
Location: Trewyn Park
Organizer: Southside Community Center
Why Peoria Freedom & Remembrance Memorial Park?
The press conference location, Peoria Freedom & Remembrance Memorial Park, was chosen with intention. Adjacent to the former Moffatt Cemetery in South Peoria, the park was created through years of community advocacy and city support.
- Nance Legins‑Costley, the first enslaved person legally freed in Illinois with Abraham Lincoln’s assistance.
- Union soldiers who secured freedom and whose service connects Peoria to the original Juneteenth celebrations in Texas.
- Thousands of everyday Peorians who were buried without markers, are now recognized with interpretive storyboards and Illinois State Historical Markers.
On June 14, 2023, the City of Peoria officially recognized the Peoria Freedom & Remembrance Memorial, concluding eight years of effort to ensure that those who rest still at the Old Moffatt Cemetery are “forgotten no more”.