Calendars that help you find Juneteenth celebrations and LGBTQ+ Pride events are now available at therealmainstream.com, and growing almost daily.
You can find more than six dozen Pride events throughout Illinois and Iowa from May through July on The Real Mainstream LGBTQ Pride Events calendar. Also, for the first time, The Real Mainstream is providing a Juneteenth Events calendar, featuring more than two dozen events during June throughout Illinois and Iowa.
Find Juneteenth events throughout Illinois and Iowa at the Juneteenth Events calendar, constantly evolving.
Juneteenth honors June 19, 1865, the date when Union soldiers stormed Galveston, Tex., and proclaimed the end of enslavement for 250,000 people still held as slaves in Texas two years after the official Emancipation Proclamation had been passed. It’s considered the date when a new era of Reconstructionism began, finally enabling a path for Blacks to own property, marry, and partake of other rights allowed only to white Americans for the previous 200 years.
“Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country,” writes the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans.”
The Juneteenth events you’ll find on TRM’s Juneteenth calendar include concerts, parties, open mic nights, picnics, vendor fairs, and more.
The LGBTQ Pride calendar for Illinois and Iowa features events from May through July, and is also always evolving.
The LGBTQ Pride tradition honors the June 28, 1969, Stonewall Uprising, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City rose up against persistent police persecution following a series of unannounced raids of the bar. “While the events of Stonewall are often referred to as ‘riots,’ Stonewall veterans have explicitly stated that they prefer the term Stonewall uprising or rebellion,” writes the Library of Congress. “The reference to these events as riots was initially used by police to justify their use of force. “
The Stonewall Uprisings are considered the historical even that inspired LGBTQ+ people to mobilize more effectively to pursue civil rights. On The Real Mainstream’s annual Pride season calendar, you’ll find big annual Pride Fests, and also support or related events like potlucks, hikes, game nights, run/walk events, and more.
In addition, find how to join or attend at least eight Pride parades happening in the two states.
Each of these seasonal calendars are growing continuously. For each event, you’ll find a quick description; links for sign-ups or registration; a map and contact information for the venue; and links to the event organizers.
If you know of an event that should be on these calendars, email reachus@therealmainstream.com, or use our convenient Submit Events form.
For regional calendars with these and more events, head to The Real Mainstream Events page, featuring a summary of the top four or five upcoming events in each state, and links to seven regional calendars throughout Illinois and Iowa.
