Joliet Community Comes Out For First Juneteenth Celebration

JOLIET - Chelsea Graves got an idea in her head for a celebration and, with the help of her community, it was a great, safe event for friends and family to meet for Juneteenth.

"I just woke up and felt like I wanted to give back," she said. "I didn't ask for any donations, but I got plenty of donations."

"The whole purpose was to celebrate Juneteenth."

Juneteenth falls on June 19 and is the anniversary of the date that slaves in Texas found out they had been free for two years.

Graves owns U.C.Me Expressions, a company that produces custom designed apparel. She had a booth at the celebration. Graves organized the celebration that took place in Nowell Park on June 19. The focus for the event was celebration. The largest donation was Alzada's Convenience Store & Carryout Foods.

"We were very adamant within our community that we stay on task," Graves said. "It was not a protest."

Editor's Note: This story was edited to correct an error.