Families spread across the open hillside at the base of the Millennium Carillon on Saturday, June 14, as Naperville Neighbors United marked its fifth annual Juneteenth celebration with live music, dancing, food trucks, and more than 30 vendors at Rotary Hill.

The free event, held from noon to 3 p.m. at 443 Aurora Ave., drew attendees from Bolingbrook, Aurora, Wheaton, and Warrenville in addition to Naperville residents, according to NCTV17 coverage.

Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli issued a formal Juneteenth proclamation, and Illinois Sen. Laura Ellman (D-21st District) spoke alongside NNU co-founder Benny White.

"It's important for us to support each other's holidays to learn about each other, to learn about real history, and then continue to grow this event," said Saily Joshi, an NNU consultant. "We have lots of people coming, even to this event, from Bolingbrook, from Aurora, from Wheaton, Warrenville. So it really brings the whole community to Naperville."

The celebration featured a performance by Harmony & Soul and included educational booths on Juneteenth and African American history in Naperville.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers informed enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, of their freedom, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863. It became a federal holiday in 2021; NNU launched its celebration series the following year.

NNU Board Chair Kim White said the event is about bringing awareness and encouraging the entire community to participate. Her husband, Councilman Benny White, co-founded NNU in 2018. A retired Army lieutenant colonel, he has served on the Naperville City Council since 2017. The couple has lived in Naperville since 2005.

What's Next

NNU's next community event is "A Seat for Everyone: Naperville Comes Together," scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, at North Central College's Stevenson Hall, Wentz Science Center, 131 S. Loomis St. The gathering is part of the city's Embracing Community series and is free with registration at www.surveymonkey.com/r/NapervilleSeat.