Sioux falls Juneteenth flag

Building a movement to locally recognize Juneteenth and to celebrate the excellence of Black culture and freedom.

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. 

JuneteenthSF is Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s premiere community heritage celebration and is hosted annually within Sioux Falls.

Outside of our annual celebration we aim to be a community resource year round through education, advocacy and support!

Celebrating the freedom of Black Americans helps ensure that Black people and the entire nation do not relive the dark moments of slavery. We have designed the Juneteenth Festival and its celebrations in a way that educates our audience about slavery and its lasting effects still present in society today.