Sterling Heights city officials and the African American Coalition will join up with Dodge Park Thursdays to celebrate the fourth annual Juneteenth with a day of dance, music and a library workshop.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States, according to the National Museum of African American History. The day became a federal holiday in 2021.

Diana Bledsoe, a Sterling Heights resident and coalition chair, said pairing Juneteenth into Dodge Park Thursdays allows the group to reach a wider audience and amplifies a shared understanding of African American history and culture.

“This approach also helps us advance the Coalition’s mission of bringing diverse perspectives, fostering cultural vibrancy, and driving social and economic progress for African Americans in Sterling Heights,” Bledsoe said in a news release.

On Thursday, the day will begin at 10 a.m. with a “Stand Up for Freedom: A Dance Workshop” with Detroit’s Abigail School of Dance and food, books and crafts at the Sterling Heights Public Library.

The daylong celebration continues at 3 p.m. when the Dodge Park Farmers Market and nearly 30 Juneteenth vendor and information booths open featuring several Black-owned businesses and organizations.

At 5 p.m., the Juneteenth stage will feature music and hustle lessons at the Patios ‘n’ Pints beer garden next to the Upton House Museum. The festivities end with a concert by the Prolifics, a Detroit-based band known for their Motown and R&B sound, at 7 p.m. on the Music in the Park Stage, kicking off the 50th anniversary season of Music in the Park.

The library’s dance workshop, funded by the Friends of the Sterling Heights Library, honors the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, who did not hear the message of freedom for two years. Through choreography rooted in strength, resilience, and liberation, dancers will embody the struggle, the waiting and the moment of freedom.

The library workshop will also feature soul food sampling, a book giveaway for youngsters, a craft-making opportunity of a beaded bracelet or Kente weaving mat, and a mobile learning center in front of the library, all sponsored by the Metroparks.

Participants will learn the history of soul food while sampling rib tips, wings, yams, greens, mac and cheese, cornbread, black eyed peas and peach cobbler. Registration is required at sterling-heights.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=176564

Mayor Michael Taylor called Juneteenth a “powerful reminder” of the shared journey taken toward freedom and justice.

“In Sterling Heights, we honor this day not only as a celebration of emancipation, but as a commitment to unity, understanding, and the ongoing work of building a community for all,” he said.

Artina Carter, Metroparks Chief of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, said working with the Sterling Heights Public Library to celebrate family while honoring the rich history of the holiday has been “incredibly special.”

She said the Metroparks staff is “looking forward to connecting meaningfully with our community through celebration, education, and reflection. With dance, food, book giveaways, and crafting this will be a day that centers the freedom of joy, learning, and togetherness.”

The Sterling Heights Public Library is on the city campus on Dodge Park Road, while Dodge Park is located nearby on Utica Road.