Photo series: Celebrating Juneteenth in Fort Wayne

The Macknificent Freedom Fest is Fort Wayne's official Juneteenth celebration. 

The weeklong celebration June 13-19 featured various events, including an Elders Jubilee, a Taste of Culture program, a Raggae Fest, and the Mack Fest All-Star Basketball Showcase.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrating the anniversary of when federal troops arrived in Texas to free enslaved people on June 19, 1865—two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Mr. Adrian Curry, who is part of the team leading this year’s celebration in Fort Wayne, says the Juneteenth Macknificent Freedom Fest "is a time to educate, organize, and celebrate the Black community."

"It is about unity in the community," Mr. Curry says. "Our mission is to develop Renaissance Leaders and connect people and organizations with a collective conscience for community welfare and events, locally and abroad.”

Here's a photo roundup of the week's festivities. (All photos by Rachel Von Stroup.)

Adrian Curry with the Art Leadership Center leads his students in a performance during the Taste of Culture event at The Impact Center at New Covenant Worship Center during the Juneteenth Macknificent Freedom Fest on June 13, 2022.