A former Chicago White Sox second baseman turned artist is partnering with White Sox Charities for a one-of-a-kind Juneteenth collaboration. Micah Johnson worked with student athletes who are part of the Amateur City Elite program to design custom Juneteenth artwork

1865 Fest. (Courtesy of the WCA Alliance)

Juneteenth celebrations are just around the corner, and there are plenty of ways you can celebrate the holiday in Chicago. Here’s a look at some events that are worth checking out.

(WTTW News)

A group of students is countering violence on Chicago’s West Side by planting a peace garden and creating peace corners in classrooms in honor of Juneteenth. But this isn’t something out of the ordinary for them. They’re known as Peace Warriors — born out of North Lawndale College Prep almost 15 years ago.

The Gesu Choir, standing, is cheered on by the congregation as they sing during Mass, Sunday, June 18, 2023, at Gesu Catholic Church in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War.

(Courtesy of Dwight White II)

Chicago-based visual artist Dwight White II curates cultural events. From June 19-25, he’s celebrating Juneteenth with a mural activation, gala evening and artist celebration day party.

People hold a sign in their car during a car parade to mark Juneteenth on June 19, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo / Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)

For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts.

The Juneteenth flag, created by Ben Haith in 1997. Haith is the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. (WTTW News)

After years of advocating and campaigning, Juneteenth is being recognized as a federal, state and local holiday for the first time this year. The day recognizes June 19, 1865, that's when the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were freed, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Cook County Juneteenth Planning Committee. (Credit: Norvell's Photography)

Juneteenth will be recognized as a federal, state and local holiday for the first time this year. The day recognizes the freeing of the last enslaved people in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. 

Oak Woods Cemetery (WTTW News)

From the Civil War to the civil rights movement and everything in between, the lives of these prominent Black Chicagoans are educating others. We visit Oak Woods Cemetery for a lesson.

Selena Quinn, from left, LaVon Fisher-Wilson and Traci Coleman perform during a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League as Juneteenth's celebrations take place at Times Square Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Parades, picnics and lessons in history were offered Saturday to commemorate Juneteenth in the U.S., a day that carried even more significance after Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday to observe the end of slavery.

FILE - In this June 17, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden hands a pen to Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., after signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci, File)
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Hundreds of top companies had already pledged last year to observe Juneteenth in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the national reckoning on racism that followed.

FILE - In this June 19, 2020, file photo, demonstrators march through downtown Orlando, Fla., during a Juneteenth event.  (AP Photo / John Raoux, File)

This year alone, legislation to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday died in Florida and South Dakota and is stalled in Ohio, all states controlled by Republicans. But even in Maryland, where Democrats control the Legislature, a Juneteenth bill passed one chamber only to die in the other.

(Virtue Restaurant / Facebook photo)

As Juneteenth becomes a widely recognized holiday, the award-winning chef at Virtue restaurant talks about what the day means to him, and how he tries to honor it through his work.

"Demand Justice" sculpture in Grant Park. Artist Maxwell Emcays will talk about his inspiration and Juneteenth, June 19, 2021. (Courtesy of Chicago Park District)
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Green spaces across the Chicago area will serve as the backdrop for a number of Juneteenth celebrations this weekend, from live music and dance to discussions about the new federal holiday.

President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday that was passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday. Here’s a look at the holiday and its history.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs House Bill 3922 on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The new law makes Juneteenth an official state holiday. (WTTW News via the Governor’s Office)

Plus: Our Spotlight Politics team on the new law, Springfield summer session and more

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the law Wednesday at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, where a rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by the country’s 16th president is currently on display.