Bethlehem Community Center holds special Juneteenth reading for local children

As Juneteenth fast approaches, the Bethlehem Community Center is spreading the history of Juneteenth with a special reading from author Jessica Desmond.

Jessica Desmond’s book “Coco learns about Juneteenth” is a children’s coloring book for kids to learn about history in a unique way.  When speaking with Author Jessica she emphasized the significance of this chapter in black history and how important it is for young kids to be educated.

“I wrote the book because as I was telling the children, I didn’t know anything about Juneteenth, so once I learned about it, I wanted to make sure they knew what it was all about we’ve been taught of course the Fourth of July and that’s great, but I wanted us to understand the significance of Juneteenth.” said Desmond

Today’s book reading all tied in with the community’s centers Juneteenth celebration coming up.

Executive director Reginald Floyd Smith shares this year’s big plans

“Outside of the classroom, we also have a very large Juneteenth event here in Chattanooga, this year it will be on June 15th right here on the Bethlehem Center’s main lawn area. We typically have around 30 different tables set up with vendors and food trucks. This is an opportunity for us to educate the community about Juneteenth while also being able to push back a little bit of support to the community business that are also connected with our community”. said Executive Director Reginald Floyd Smith 

The celebration will be from 1-4pm