A big local event in celebration of Juneteenth is moving to a new venue due to expected storms.
The 2nd Annual Juneteenth Community Day, held today (June 19) from 4-7 p.m., is moving from Metropolitan Park in Pentagon City to Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie Street).
Pentagon City’s second annual Juneteenth Community Day is returning next week.
The free celebration, hosted by the Arlington nonprofit Challenging Racism, is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, at Metropolitan Park (1330 S. Fair Street). The event will include live music, performances and food trucks.
Tomorrow is Juneteenth and that means a number of closures in Arlington.
The federal holiday, on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. In addition to most federal offices being closed, Arlington County offices, libraries, courts and community centers will be closed Wednesday.
Most Arlington County facilities will be closed Monday for the Juneteenth federal holiday.
Courts, DMV offices, Dept. of Human Services facilities, libraries, community centers, permitting offices, the treasurer’s office and waste drop-offs will all be closed on June 19. Parking meters will not be enforced.
(Updated at noon) Sunday is Juneteenth and Monday is the federal holiday in observance of it.
A number of events are planned in Arlington to mark the day, which commemorates the emancipation of freed slaves. Many county facilities will also be closed on Monday due to the federal holiday.
The Virginia Black History Month Association plans to host its first event with an in-person component since the pandemic began in Crystal City.
The group’s annual gala, normally held in February, was pushed to June after the area recorded a high number of Covid cases due to the Omicron variant.
(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) Arlington County will observe Juneteenth — which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. — for the first time as an official county holiday this Friday and Saturday.
The holiday celebrates the day when the nation’s last enslaved people learned of their freedom following the Emancipation Proclamation. The Arlington County Board voted to make Juneteenth a county holiday in late April of this year.
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) On Friday, Arlington County workers — dispatched after a resident complained — power washed away a girl’s Black Lives Matter chalk art from in front of her Boulevard Manor home. After an uproar, the county later apologized.
A memo from County Manager Mark Schwartz, sent to county employees on Saturday and obtained by ARLnow, shows some of the internal soul searching that followed the incident.
Juneteenth Rally in Courthouse Today — “Please join the Arlington Black Employees Council for a 2020 Juneteenth Peace Rally on Friday, 11a-12p, outside at the Bozman Gov’t Center. The event will include a George Floyd tribute and recognition of victims of violence.” [Twitter]
Police Investigating Columbia Pike Robbery — “At approximately 1:24 a.m. on June 17, an officer was flagged down by the victim stating they had just been robbed. The investigation determined that the victim had exited a business when two unknown suspects approached him. One of the suspects struck the victim with an object appearing to be a firearm, causing him to fall to the ground. The suspects searched the victim’s person and fled the scene without taking anything from the victim.” [Arlington County]
Big Response to Small Biz Grant Program — “Those hit hard by the pandemic can receive help through the small business emergency grant program. More than 1,100 businesses have applied, [County Board Chair Libby] Garvey said, and at least 63% of them are owned by women or minorities. ‘With an additional $1.6 million, we can provide grants to a total of 400 businesses, more than 50% of those that… were eligible,’ Garvey said,” during her State of the County address Tuesday morning. [WTOP, Zoom]
Chamber Presents Valor Awards — Also on Tuesday, “awards were presented to honor Arlington County’s public safety personnel and first responders. Fourteen honorees were recognized for their courageous, and often lifesaving, actions in the line of duty. Leadership of all respective departments submitted nominations for the honorees, based on their performance over the past year.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce, InsideNova]
