ANDERSON, S.C. (WSPA) – For the fifth year in a row, there will be a Juneteenth celebration at Veterans of Foreign Wars on Scarborough Road.
Juneteenth is a holiday which commemorates the day the last enslaved people were notified of the end of the Civil War and their emancipation.
Organizers of the celebration said they’re hosting an expo to support local Black-owned businesses.
“You generally don’t see a lot of Black businesses so we want to take the opportunity to pour back into them and to show our younger generation that if you believe it you can achieve it even if you start from your house you can go as far as you want to take it,” said Jessica Lomax.
Local business owners said this expo has helped them jumpstart their journey.
“Being a business owner myself, me and my partner are the first Black vegan food truck in Anderson and we’ve been doing this since 2020. We actually had our grand opening out here and it was our introduction to the community and everybody loved this. It was really big for us so I can only imagine how it impacts everybody else,” said Kobe Middleton.
There will be music, food trucks and merchandise with the goal of bringing the community together.
“We know that at least this one day of the year, everybody can put all differences aside and just come out here for the greater good. I think it’s good for the youth to be able to see that be done,” said Middleton.
Over the years, organizers said they’ve had 20 vendors and a crowd of more than 500.
“Juneteenth to me, from my perspective, is very important to be celebrated throughout all communities because it shows what happens when a group of people get behind themselves and pick themselves up by the bootstraps. You don’t need help from anyone else, but you come together like one big family as a community should, and you get things done that need to be done,” said Middleton.
The Juneteenth celebration will be Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.