Juneteenth 5th Annual Celebration

Washington for Justice is sponsoring Washington’s fifth Juneteenth Celebration to honor the historical ending of enslavement in the United States and highlighting the achievements and contributions of African American Iowans.

This year we will be hearing from award winning author and speaker, Abena Sankofa Imohtep from Des Moines. A dynamic orator who speaks with eloquence and clarity, Abena was selected to be the final commencement speaker at the historic Iowa Wesleyan University, led interdisciplinary think-tanks, and graced the TEDx stage. She has received numerous honors including the American Red Cross Diversity Equity & Inclusion Award, African American Leadership Academy Fellowship, NAACP Accomplished Entrepreneur Award, Top Ten Iowa Book of the Year, the prestigious Iowa Author Award, and Iowa Podcast Awards Host of the Year.

Abena provides literacy support to emerging readers and works to expand children’s access to diverse books through her youth initiative, Sankofa Literary Academy. Her debut children’s book, “Omari’s Big Tree and the Mighty Djembe”, has received international recognition with distribution in 29 countries.

There will be a local choir to present “Lift Every Voice and Sing” commonly known as the Black National Anthem.

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