06/19/2026
As Puerto Ricans, we should recognize that Juneteenth is not simply another holiday or a day off from work. It is a powerful commemoration of freedom, resilience, and the ongoing struggle against slavery, racism, and oppression throughout the Americas.
While Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865—the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation—Puerto Rico has its own important date in this shared history. On March 22, 1873, slavery was officially abolished in Puerto Rico, ending centuries of bo***ge that profoundly shaped our island, our culture, and our people.
These two commemorations are connected by a common legacy. The labor, resistance, spirituality, creativity, and sacrifices of African-descended peoples helped build both Puerto Rican and African American communities. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom was never simply granted; it was won through struggle, perseverance, and collective action.
For Puerto Ricans, especially those of us living in Chicago, Juneteenth offers an opportunity to reflect on the deep historical ties between Black and Puerto Rican communities. Our histories have often run parallel, and our struggles for equality, housing, education, political representation, and human dignity have frequently intersected.
Chicago itself offers one of the most powerful examples of that solidarity. During the civil rights era, the Young Lords Organization, led by José "Cha Cha" Jiménez, worked closely with the Black Panther Party under the leadership of Fred Hampton. Together, along with other community organizations, they helped build the original Rainbow Coalition—a movement rooted not in symbolism, but in the belief that Black, Puerto Rican, Latino, and poor working-class communities could unite to challenge poverty, discrimination, and systemic injustice. Their partnership remains a powerful reminder that our liberation has always been interconnected.
As we commemorate Juneteenth, Puerto Ricans should not see this day as someone else's history. It is part of our history as well. The story of African-descended peoples in the Americas includes Puerto Rico, and the fight for freedom, dignity, and justice continues to connect our communities today.
The Puerto Rican Arts Alliance is honored to celebrate Juneteenth through a program that reflects on African Diasporic spirituality, memory, ancestry, and cultural continuity.
Sacred Presence: Afro-Caribbean Spirituality and the Image
A Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, June 19, 2026
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Puerto Rican Arts Alliance Center Gallery
3000 N. Elbridge Ave., Chicago, Illinois
Presented as part of Through Her Lens: Caribbean Image Makers, this special Juneteenth celebration centers on the work of photographer Lisa DuBois and her acclaimed series Black Women Wearing White, exploring themes of sacred identity, healing, ancestral memory, spirituality, and transformation throughout the African Diaspora.
Featuring:
• Lisa DuBois, photographer/doumentarian
• Iya Eugenia Tiombe Meteye (Iya Oshunleye)
• Iya Gwen Luster
Moderated by Professor Jacqueline Lazú.
We invite guests to wear white and join us in honoring the ancestors whose struggles made our freedoms possible.
Juneteenth is not only a celebration of emancipation. It is a reminder that our futures are strongest when we stand together, learn from one another, and continue building the bridges envisioned by leaders such as Fred Hampton and Cha Cha Jiménez.
¡Pa'lante siempre!
