Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project, will headline a Springfield event in honor of Juneteenth.
The University of Illinois Springfield Center for Lincoln Studies, in partnership with Juneteenth Inc., the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the UIS Institute for Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice, will host a conversation with Hannah-Jones.
The event is June 15 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The event, titled “Free-ish: Juneteenth and the Long Legacy of 1619" and will explore the enduring legacy of slavery in America and examine commonly held myths about freedom and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equity.
Hannah-Jones has spent her career investigating racial inequality and injustice. Her work has earned her the MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant,” a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and three National Magazine Awards.
The Hulu docuseries “The 1619 Project” won the 2024 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
The event is free and open to the public, but a ticket is required. Tickets are available at go.uis.edu/Juneteenth2026.
Also, the ALPLM has an array of special Juneteenth activities, including a display of the Emancipation Proclamation, theatrical events and a free day of admission.
Visitors can also enjoy the museum’s new exhibit, “The Second American Revolution,” which includes a copy of the constitutional amendment ending slavery in America. This marks the first time in more than a decade that the public will be able see the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment – each signed by Lincoln himself – at the same time.
ALPLM events for Juneteenth are:
- “The Nature of Freedom”: This readers theater presentation features the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Langston Hughes, Harriet Tubman and more. Performances take place at noon on June 11, 13, 17 and 19. There also is a 6:30 p.m. performance on June 18. The evening event is free, but seats must be reserved in advance.
- Emancipation Proclamation: on display 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the library building weekdays from June 12 through June 19. One special weekend display will take place Saturday, June 13. There will be no charge to see the proclamation.
- Community Celebration: The ALPLM will have an activity tent at Springfield’s Juneteenth Celebration in Comer Cox Park on Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Children can design their own buttons, and we’ll be giving away free Lincoln swag and a museum membership.
- Nikole Hannah-Jones: Her presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 15. Tickets are free, but seats must be reserved in advance.
- Free admission: No charge to visit the museum on June 19, a state holiday.
- “Glory”: The ALPLM will screen the movie “Glory,” which tells the story of Black soldiers fighting and dying for freedom during the Civil War, on June 19. The free event takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Union Theater. Tickets are free, but seats must be reserved in advance.
