ALPENA ­– Interested community members are invited to a June 18 workshop about Juneteenth, which honors the official end of slavery in the U.S. It became a national holiday just one year ago June 2021.

Workshop participants will learn more about this newest federal holiday and the 1865 arrival of federal troops in Texas to ensure that all enslaved people would be freed. The free workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 at the Alpena County Library large conference room.

Light morning refreshments will be served, and a box lunch will be provided at the end of the morning activity so participants can continue their conversations after the workshop.

The dynamic speaker/trainer who will lead this interactive workshop is Shalonna Banks, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute and Michigan State University.

She currently works for the State of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services within the Division of Victim Services, where she is a leader in statewide training.

This event is sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Northeast Michigan in their continued commitment to building a Beloved Community.

Please register by June 12 by sending your name and request for registration to abelovedcommunity.alpena@gmail.com