Juneteenth Day of Service

Please join us on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at 11 am for a day of service and learning at DC’s oldest Black cemeteries: Mt. Zion and the Female Union Band Society Cemeteries. Mt. Zion was established in 1808, and the Female Union Band Society Cemetery was established in 1842.

Last Juneteenth, Nannie’s grave, a little girl born in 1848 and who died in 1856, was desecrated when someone set her grave on fire and destroyed the toys on her grave that she had been given over decades.

This Juneteenth, we invite friends and visitors to tour the cemeteries and then volunteer to clean up, pull invasive weeds, preserve grave markers, fill in holes, and beautify the landscape. There is a lot to do, and no experience is necessary. We encourage you to bring your partner, friend, parent, or school-age child with you for a rewarding day of learning and volunteering.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday recognizing the end of slavery in 1865 in Texas. However, it should be noted that DC Emancipation Day was April 16, 1862, Maryland on Nov 4, 1864, and Virginia on Jan 1, 1863.

Please sign up so we can stay in touch about the details of the day!