Juneteenth celebration happening in Rexburg Saturday
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REXBURG — Black students in Rexburg want to celebrate with the community during a Juneteenth event on Saturday.
Juneteenth commemorates Black slaves in Texas learning of their emancipation on June 19, 1865, nearly three years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation. The Black Student Union in Rexburg, comprised of Brigham Young University-Idaho students, wants to celebrate with a family-friendly community-building event.
“It’s just to help people remember and understand,” Brandon Brown, vice president of the Black Student Union, told EastIdahoNews.com. “It’s also a very good learning experience.”
United States Census data estimates Rexburg’s Black or African American population at 0.2%. Brown is from Houston, where the Black population is significantly higher.
“I always wanted to have a church community and that’s why I thought BYU-Idaho was the best place (to attend school),” Brown said. “But coming here, even though I still felt like I have that community, I did feel out of place…because there are not really people who understand me.”
Brown discovered the Black Student Union in Rexburg and began connecting with others who had similar experiences in the small community. It’s through events like Juneteenth that the off-campus organization hopes to build strong relationships.
“There are a lot of people in Rexburg and on campus who believe that a separate group like this is exclusionary and divisive,” said Kristine Anderson, one of the organizers of last year’s event. “I like to think this event can show how they use it to one, support each other and two, share their culture and unify people together at the same time. They’ve been told many times they’re practicing segregation by having their unofficial student group. The success of last year and hopefully this year, in my opinion, shows how that’s not the case.”
This year’s celebration will likely fall on what could be a newly recognized federal holiday. According to the Associated Press, the United States Senate passed a bill Tuesday to add Juneteenth to 11 already established federal holidays. It’s expected the House of Representatives and President Joe Biden will make it official.
The Rexburg Juneteenth celebration will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. at Porter Park off South 2nd West. Activities and food trucks will be there leading up to the program at 6:30 p.m. Musical performances start at 8 p.m. For more information, you can visit the events Facebook page here.
