Rock Hill to host virtual 2020 Juneteenth celebration. Here’s what to know.
Rock Hill’s Juneteenth celebration is moving online this year.
The multi-day event has been canceled due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Juneteenth marks the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the Confederate South on June 19, 1865.
The city, along with Juneteenth Rock Hill, Inc., will hold a virtual commemoration at 7 p.m. on June 19. Presentations will be posted to the Juneteenth Rock Hill Facebook and Instagram pages.
The online event will include virtual presentations by local artists, poets and musicians, a release from the Culture and Heritage Museums states.
The newsletter will be published. The coloring contest and scholarship award will continue, the release states.
“The Juneteenth Rock Hill Celebration Committee is working diligently to navigate through this unprecedented time to focus on the health and safety of individuals in the regional community.”
Last year, the annual event drew hundreds to Fountain Park in Rock Hill.
Rock Hill protest
Moms Against Racism, a group formed by York County resident Natasha McNeil, is asking state leaders to allow for the renaming of Confederate Park in Rock Hill, according to a post on the group’s Facebook page and CN2.
The group has thousands of members on Facebook.
The group is planning a peaceful protest at 5 p.m. on Juneteenth at Confederate Park. They want the park name changed to Liberty Park.
“In light of recent protests, MAR, Clinton College, and other organizations have come to realize that Rock Hill’s Confederate Park demands a change of name. Directly across from the park’s current namesake, Liberty Avenue meets its border,” reads a post on the group’s page.
The event is described as an ‘anti-picnic.’ The event will kick off with a walk from Fountain Park to Confederate Park.
The park name is protected by the South Carolina Heritage Act. The S.C. General Assembly would need to change the law with a two-thirds majority vote, reports CN2.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
