by Isabelle Maggard
EUGENE, OREGON — Check out these Juneteenth events happening in Eugene!
SUNDAY – Eugene Juneteenth Celebration
The 4th annual Eugene Juneteenth Celebration is happening this Sunday, June 18th, at Alton Baker Park. The theme of this year’s celebration is Black Hair Matters, with the addition of the Hair Zone. The Hair Zone includes live demos to learn about black hair, “tool time” displaying all black hair care tools, Hair Porosity 101, photographic art, and more! This event has black owned vendors, a youth zone, and performances happening all day. This event is free, and is taking place between 12 PM – 7 PM.
SUNDAY – Juneteenth Festival Group Ride
Group Rides is meeting at Equiano Coffee this Sunday, June 18th, at 12 PM for a bike ride to the Eugene Juneteenth Celebration. Upon meeting, socialize and optionally enjoy coffee and treats before embarking on the group ride to the celebration at 1 PM. Ride leaders will start by sharing an overview of the history of Juneteenth and the significance it holds today. The ride will conclude with ride leaders holding a group acknowledgement of the Ferry Street Community, which was this area’s first Black community that stood where Alton Baker Park is today.
MONDAY – Juneteenth Open Mic (Virtual Event)
A Juneteenth Open Mic event is happening Monday, June 19th over Zoom from 5 PM – 8 PM. This event, though virtual, has a localized focus of this area, and will include live music and poetry performances over Zoom. Buy a ticket for $5-$10, enjoy the live performances, and vote on your favorite! The winner receives a prize at the end of the night.
MONDAY – Juneteenth Celebration Donation
Voodoo Doughnut is celebrating Juneteenth this Monday, June 19th by donating a portion of their daily sales to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. TMCF is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community, and is a vital resource for K-12 and higher education. So grab one doughnut, a dozen, or more and help support TMCF’s mission!
Isabelle Maggard is a Marketing Agent at Highlite. She currently is studying digital marketing at Lane Community College. Isabelle focuses on social media engagement and outreach for account growth. She also contributes a weekly article focusing on upcoming weekend events in Eugene.