Juneteenth inspires community action in Indianapolis

By: Taj Simmons

INDIANAPOLIS — Juneteenth is the federal holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865, the day the last slaves in the United States learned they were free. Community groups around Indianapolis marked the day of liberation with celebration and inspiration.

The Indianapolis Black Firefighters Association organized a Juneteenth cookout at its headquarters, the former Indianapolis Fire Department Station 31 on 42nd Street near the Monon Trail.

"It's a mark of freedom and being able to understand where you're coming from to know where you're going," said Indianapolis Black Firefighters Association president Corey Floyd.

Visitors also received a sneak peek inside of the organization's new museum within Station 31.

Floyd said the cookout hoped to solidify the fire station's role as a place for the whole community to come together.

"This is like my backyard," Floyd said. "One of the original pop machines is still here. I don't get rid of it because firefighters gave me soda out of that. They aired up our bicycle tires when we rolled through the neighborhood. It was so important for me to serve in that same community when I became a firefighter."

While the firefighters' cookout was going on, landscapers with Keep It Beautiful Indianapolis were remodeling Charlie Wiggins Park on the city's northwest side as a Juneteenth service project.

The park, named after the first Black mechanic to repair cars at the Indianapolis 500, is beneath Interstate 65 near 29th Street. Hadiah Amit of the Northwest Landing Neighborhood Association said the community needed all of the help it could get to revitalize it.