A year ago, in the wake of the global protests over the police murder of George Floyd, young Glenwood resident Destiny Watson was inspired to plan a Juneteenth celebration in the south suburbs.

Watson, 22, didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stand in her way. This Saturday, You Matter 2, the nonprofit she founded nearly seven years ago to inspire and empower youth, will host its first Homewood-Flossmoor Juneteenth Festival.

Homewood-based You Matter 2 had secured 14 sponsors as of last week, including the villages of Homewood and Flossmoor, Governors State University, Prairie State College, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Sutton Ford, Allstate and Martell Cognac. More than 75 vendors are set to participate, among them many Black-owned businesses including sellers of art, apparel, food, jewelry, real estate and spa products, Watson said.

The free outdoor festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Watson’s high school alma mater, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, 999 Kedzie Ave., Flossmoor.

Watson took action following last year’s protests against police brutality and calls for social justice after Floyd’s murder and Breonna Taylor’s unwarranted death at the hands of police.

“I wanted to come up with a way to continue that work and not let the summer

of 2020 be left in 2020 but to continue these conversations and the work around social justice in our community,” she said. “I want to celebrate diversity and educate our community members on African American culture and the history behind Juneteenth, because a lot of people don’t know what it is. It’s perfect timing with what’s been going on in world.”

Juneteenth commemorates and celebrates June 19, 1865, the date when Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and informed slaves they were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation signed more than two years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln.

Watson said the festival will include information on Juneteenth and feature unique art exhibits. Among those exhibits will be “Ferguson Voices,” produced by the University of Dayton. The exhibit shares the impact of the death of Michael Brown on the community, she said.

The festival also will feature a “Say Their Names Memorial” exhibit displaying photos and stories of Black lives lost to racial injustice and systemic racism, she said. The photos come from a database started by two women in Oregon last year amid the protests.

“There will be a wall of pictures and names all in black and white,” said Watson. “The majority of the pictures are head shots where you’ll actually be looking into the person’s eyes. It will really create an experience for people. I believe there will be over 275 names and pictures that will be available for people to see.”

The festival also will feature live performances by Homewood and Flossmoor bands and others. A teddy bear building booth will be on site and a carnival slide for children.

Representatives from the villages of Homewood and Flossmoor said when Watson approached them in late June last year about conducting a Juneteenth festival — which will be the first either village has been a part of — they welcomed the opportunity to be sponsors and celebrate diversity.

“We were thrilled because they are a well-respected organization in the Homewood-Flossmoor area,” said Flossmoor assistant village manager Allison Matson. “We knew that they had an existing network of support, a really good volunteer base. People love the projects they do. They are a great fit for this.”

Allisa Opyd, Homewood events and community relations manager, said the town is fortunate Watson and You Matter 2 is the driving force behind the event.

“We’re expecting a very large crowd especially since this is the inaugural,” Opyd said.

Watson, who has a bachelor’s degree in human rights studies from the University of Dayton, and who is working on her master’s degree in nonprofit administration from North Park University in Chicago, founded You Matter 2 at age 16. The organization’s mission is to provide opportunities for youth to serve and make a difference in their communities. It consists of seventh to 12th grade students from the south suburbs who are committed and driven to making positive changes in the world, said Watson. Members volunteer, work to raise awareness on local and global issues and host community events.

Watson’s commitment to service garnered attention from retired Los Angeles Laker Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who several years ago, upon learning of her efforts, committed to pay for her college education, she said.

Watson said the pandemic created challenges in planning the Juneteenth festival including forcing the cancellation of a parade that had been envisioned to start in Homewood and end at the festival.

“We went back and forth, could we do a virtual celebration, a virtual parade, what does all of that look like,” she said. “There were definitely some points where we were unsure of what direction to move in.”

Also, before Illinois shifted to the last phase of its COVID-19 pandemic reopening plan last week, Watson said the group had set up time slots for people to attend the festival with restrictions on the number of attendees during those times. Those restrictions have now been removed.

More than 100 volunteers are lined up to assist with the Juneteenth festival, said Watson. Among them are You Matter 2 members Kyla Emory and Mya Guyton, both students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.

“I hope this event allows our community to recognize the importance of African American culture … to see the beauty in it and the greatness in it through this festival,” said Emory, who is president of the You Matter 2 Youth Council.

“I’m glad we get to be the ones to start it off,” Guyton said. “I hope it will be an annual event.”

Making it an annual event is the plan, said Watson.

“I’m hoping that this will spark more community involvement when it comes to racial justice, and that people will learn something from this event,” she said. “Juneteenth is another Independence Day. It’s something we should definitely continue to celebrate.”

Francine Knowles is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown

fknowles.writer @gmail.com