SPOKANE, Wash. – On Wednesday, many people attended Spokane’s Juneteenth Celebration, hosted by the Inland Northwest Juneteenth Coalition, at Grant Park.
There were vendors, poets, food, music, activities for young children and speakers.
Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S.
The holiday was first celebrated in Galveston, Texas, where, on June 19, 1865, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
“We were celebrating this among my people before it actually became a holiday,” Perry Lee Fairley, an attendee of the event, said.”[Now] more people of other races…and our community come together to celebrate.”
Michael Bethely, co-chair of the Inland Northwest Juneteenth Coalition, told NonStop Local that Juneteenth is about celebrating and teaching the history of the day.
“It’s our country right? ‘Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.’ And we’re a part of that. And so, it’s important that we celebrate every aspect of it,” Bethely said.
