Free Juneteenth Celebration Coming Up June 21 at Fort Myers STARS Complex

A free Juneteenth celebration with music, food, and fireworks will fill the STARS Complex in Fort Myers on June 21. The Lee County Black History Society will host the event from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This day marks when Union troops reached Texas with news of freedom for the last enslaved Americans. The message came two years late, long after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

The name Juneteenth combines "June" and "nineteenth," pointing to that key date in 1865. Union General Gordon Granger brought the delayed message of liberty to Galveston that day, changing lives forever.

Congress made Juneteenth a U.S. holiday in 2021. While it's not yet official in Florida, towns and cities still mark this vital moment in American history with local events.

Kids will find plenty to do at the Fort Myers gathering. Local bands will play while food vendors serve up tasty dishes. As night falls, fireworks will paint the sky.