An Honorary Street Naming ceremony will be held for Idella “Juneteenth” Grigsby-Figgures on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. (Noon). The public is invited to the intersection of 11th & Van Buren Street in Gary, Indiana for the unveiling of the honorary street sign for Idella. She was a lifelong resident until her passing on November 19, 2004, at 84 years old.
Joining neighbors, friends and community leaders of Idella’s family will be a host of special guests including Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, Rev. Charles Adams, Kwabena Rasule, Chuck Hughes, Rachelle Morgan-Ceasar, and Charlotte Figgures-Burke. Idella D. Figgures was the president of the African American Liberation Parade, founder of Juneteenth Day, and at the time of her passing working on a location for the African American Cultural Center. She was a retired employee of St. Catherine Hospital.
