Public Forum Discussing Race Presented On Juneteenth In HoCo

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Howard County Center of African American Culture will be celebrating Juneteenth with a public forum called "A Conversation on Race" featuring faith-based and community leaders. The public forum can be viewed live via Zoom and in person starting at 10 a.m. on the steps of historic Oakland Manor, 5430-5433 Vantage Point Road.

Virtual events celebrating Juneteenth will begin at 11:30 a.m. and run until 2 p.m. Those events include a musical interlude, poem reading and a panel discussion followed by a virtual tour of the museum.

Nathaniel Alston will serve as moderator and panelists include State Sen. Clarence Lam, Dr. Fatimah Fanusie, Rev. Charles Y. Davis Jr., Rev. Bowyer Freeman, Kenneth Katzen and Dr. David Marker.

June 19, known as Juneteenth National Freedom Day, has been designated as an official Howard County holiday this year. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth, June 19, a federal holiday after he signed a bill Thursday that passed through the U.S. House of Representatives a day before.