05/23/2026
Contact: Jackie Wood, 208-478-2150, [email protected] May 20, 2026
Written by: Glenn Alford
POCATELLO NAACP WILL CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH
LOCALLY ON JUNE 20 WITH ETHNIC FOOD, ACTIVITIES
The Pocatello Branch of the NAACP will honor the fourth local resumption of the Juneteenth celebration, the day celebrated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as Emancipation Day, “the end of slavery,” on June 20.
The enormously significant date for African Americans, June 19, 1865, will be celebrated locally with an ethnic and traditional food picnic and other activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pocatello Senior Activity Center, 427 N. Sixth. Food will be served at noon. The public is invited.
Significantly, the celebration will spread to Purce Park, formerly known as Bonneville Park, which is adjacent to the Senior Center and was renamed to honor Idaho and the late John Purce, the influential Pocatello African-American couple who donated some of the land on which the park is located, to the Gate City.
Tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for children ages 3-12 and children 2 and under eat free. They will be on sale at the NAACP booth at the Farmers Market, the College Market, the Bru House Galilei, Joy Juice, by emailing [email protected], calling 208-478-2150, or writing Pocatello Branch NAACP, P.O. Box 4192, Pocatello, ID 83205.
“Juneteenth is a time to honor the hard-fought victories of the past while moving forward in the ongoing struggle for equality for all, a fight that requires courage, conviction and community effort,” says Pocatello Branch President Jackie Wood.
The Juneteenth keynote speaker will be Dr. James H. Yizar Jr., who retired in 2024 after a distinguished 40-year academic career at Idaho State University. He had many different responsibilities with titles that mostly included “Dean” or “Director,” and his jobs all had the primary duty of seeing to the students’ welfare. Yizar is a past president of the Pocatello Branch, serving in the 1990s.
Some background on Juneteenth, why it is so revered by the African American community: President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all enslaved persons in the Confederate States were freed on Sept. 22, 1862. But the proclamation could be enforced only behind the Union Army lines and as the Civil War continued, many slaveowners took their slaves to Texas, the southernmost slave state. By 1865, there were some 250,000 enslaved persons in Texas.
On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger took command of the 2,000 troops in Galveston, Texas, and then announced General Order No. 3, informing Texans that all enslaved persons were henceforth free, effectively ending slavery.
Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
That day was the culmination of a heroic effort by Opal Lee, known as The Grandmother of Juneteenth, who worked for decades to make June 19 a federal holiday. She visited many cities to advance the cause and in each one she walked 2.5 miles to represent the 2.5 years it took news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas. And she collected 1.5 million signatures from folks who agreed with that cause. Lee, who is still living, was 94 when she was invited to Washington, D.C. to witness Biden’s signature.
Everyone is invited to dine on ethnic foods to include chicken, pulled pork and barbecued ribs, and ethnic side dishes—black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, potato salad, cole slaw, corn bread, watermelon, red velvet cake, which is considered a soul food staple dessert, and more desserts. The Pocatello police assisted by ISU athletes will cook hamburgers and hot dogs.
Tiphanie Anirah, founder of the local Black-owned business CreeAnna’s LLC, will again sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem.
Juneteenth is a family-friendly event. For adults, there will be ethnic music played by ISU alum Glynn Osborne, raffles and the NAACP 2026 Scholarship winners will be revealed. Children will be free to play on the new playground equipment at Purce Park made possible by the Bonneville Neighborhood Association and there will be a book giveaway provided by the Marshall Public Library’s bookmobile and donated Juneteenth swag bags.
“As we come together this year in celebration of this hard-fought holiday, may we remember those who paved the way for victories in justice and join our efforts with theirs as we strive for a better future for the rising generation,” Wood says.
Follow the NAACP on Facebook at facebook.com/Pocatello.Branch.NAACP.
