BEMIDJI 鈥� A multi-year collaboration between local nonprofits Project for Change and Peacemaker Resources has resulted in the continued observation of the Juneteenth holiday, with this year鈥檚 event hosted on Thursday at Diamond Point Park.
Featuring games, information booths, food, face-painting, music and general goodwill, the event aimed to serve as a means of education as well as celebration.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 a celebration of the freedom of the slaves as well as the community coming together and learning how to be one people,鈥� Project for Change President Jacob Wiley said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e big on education and the understanding of Juneteenth, but we鈥檙e also here to celebrate. We鈥檙e here to express our excitement, happiness and love as a community and togetherness as a people.鈥�
Also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, Juneteenth commemorates the reading of President Abraham Lincoln's General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865, in Texas, which announced the freeing of enslaved people.
Though Lincoln鈥檚 Emancipation Proclamation had outlawed slavery two and a half years earlier, there were few Union troops in Texas to enforce the order.
Due to its historical roots, Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday in 1980. In June 2021, former U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris signed a bill into law to make June 19 a federal holiday commemorating the end of the legal enslavement of Black Americans.
In February 2023, Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill making Juneteenth an official state holiday for Minnesota, though the day has long been celebrated in Black communities.
As a means of continued celebration, Project for Change enlisted the help of Peacemaker Resources to provide financial backing for such an event.
鈥�(Peacemaker Resources) does fiscal sponsorships for groups in the area that would like to either partner for a specific effort or partner so that they can start a nonprofit,鈥� Peacemaker Resources Business Director Keila McCracken said. 鈥淎bout five years ago, Project for Change came to Peacemakers with their idea.鈥�
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Project for Change was formed in 2020 and operates under its mission of 鈥渂uilding awareness, creating social opportunities and enriching the quality of life for historically marginalized, disadvantaged, oppressed and resilient Black and brown communities through policy, accountability and action.鈥�
McCracken noted that Peacemaker Resources is very intentional when selecting organizations for partnership, seeking assurance that an organization will support the broader community.
鈥淧roject for Change was a pretty easy 鈥榊es鈥� on our end to have that partnership with,鈥� McCracken said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just grown throughout the years and throughout these kinds of events, and we鈥檝e grown to partner more easily for things like this.鈥�
鈥淧eacemaker Resources has been a huge ally in terms of support,鈥� Wiley added. 鈥淏oth of our organizations have collaborated on many different events to help, to heal and to celebrate with this community.鈥�
鈥楽paces of belonging鈥�
Each year鈥檚 planning process involves three to four months of biweekly meetings, which eventually culminate in the event itself. It took a community to plan the 2025 Juneteenth celebration and it took a community to ensure a good turnout on Thursday.
鈥淲e are really all about community building and creating spaces of belonging,鈥� Peacemaker Resources鈥� Sarah Wilson said. 鈥淥ur intention in coming to events like this and participating is often about building a space where people can feel safe, feel joy and feel belonging.鈥�
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McCracken expressed gratitude for the partnership with Project for Change and the role that each member plays once it's time to host.
鈥淲e鈥檝e hosted a lot of different events and Project for Change will take over for cleaning up, doing this, doing that,鈥� McCracken left off. 鈥淓veryone moves into this space and everyone has a role in hosting. Everyone supports each other.鈥�
More information on Project for Change can be found at or on the
Peacemaker Resources hosts additional information at or on the
The Trust Project
