Gloria Van Hof Presents Juneteenth Program on Zoom

Community leader, researcher, author, lecturer, and historian Gloria Van Hof will offer Juneteenth:  A Day of Jubilee, on Monday, June 20 from 7 to 8:30 pm via Zoom.  The presentation is free to the public but voluntary contributions to Compassion for Campers, the program the supplies survival needs to the McHenry County unhoused population, are encouraged.

Van Hof said, “For decades, Juneteenth was the best kept secret south of the Mason Dixon Line. Only a small number of people knew about the holiday and most of them were from the South.  You will learn how the true story of Juneteenth became an American story and an international celebration.”

She grew up in the South and is the great-great granddaughter of slaves, and will tell the back story of Juneteenth, the two Fugitive Slave Acts, the Underground Railroad, the conductors, the secret routes and safe houses, and the freedom seekers who traveled through McHenry County and neighboring states.

Van Hof is a long-time county resident who has been a reporter, cable public access host, community volunteer and activist, a businesswoman, and social service worker.  Among her recent projects was sponsoring a community blood drive at McHenry County College earlier this month.  She is an active member of Tree of Life UU Congregation and is a leader of the Coffee With Questions adult discussion group that meets on Zoom every Sunday morning.  Currently she is a Democratic Party candidate for McHenry County Board District 2 in the June Primary.

The event is sponsored by the Tree of Life U.U. Congregation whose mission is that “we nurture a community that welcomes diversity, supports the spiritual growth of its members and acts to create a more just society.”

Registration is required. Use this link to register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwud–sqz0iHN1Hm6JD3axuBYswtc-GIZvi. 

For more information contact Gloria Van Hof at 815 342-7744.