Juneteenth observed in Louisville with parties, events to mark the end of slavery

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- People around Louisville are observing Juneteenth in a variety of ways Wednesday.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War. The federal holiday is annually observed on June 19.

For more than one-and-a-half centuries, Juneteenth has been sacred to many Black communities. Since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America. Many people get the day off work or school, and there are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events.

The federal holiday gained more attention locally after U.S. President Joe Biden signed it into law in 2021.

There have been dozens of Juneteenth celebrations in Kentuckiana to commemorate the date. The city of Louisville hosted two weeks of celebrations including walking tours, a summer camp for children and a concert with the Kentucky Opera.

"We wanted to make sure that it was celebrated in the way we celebrate the Fourth of July," said Wanda Mitchell Smith.

On Saturday, Louisville's Juneteenth Festival was hosted at Lynn Family Stadium for the first time. Juneteenth Festival organizers partnered with Louisville's professional soccer clubs to promote more than 100 Black-owned businesses and vendors.

IMAGES | Louisville Juneteenth Festival hosted at Lynn Family Stadium

On Wednesday, the Muhammad Ali Center hosted an event on teaching led by the Association of Teaching Black History in Kentucky. The program highlighted contributions made by Black people in Kentucky.

"Today's event is really about making sure that we are honoring the folks that are elevating the stories of people who are really committed to making sure that the history gets told," Joi McAtee said.

11-year-old Elliott Lanier lent her voice by signing the Black National Anthem.

"They weren't known as Americans and so we recognized that and we celebrated it," Lanier said.

The presentation highlighted that Black soldiers served in the Civil War. Dr. Jemar Tisby shared the pride that Black people feel in their commitment to freedom.

"Juneteenth colors are red, white and blue," Tisby said. "That was intentional to convey the fact that Black people are American and it shows that we can be patriotic and that we can celebrate our specific history as well."

502 Black Business Week, a week-long celebration aiming to promote Black-owned businesses, goes through June 22. For more information, click here.

Last week, the White House kicked things off early with a concert on the South Lawn for Juneteenth and Black Music Month. Singers Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle were among the the lineup of well-known artists from gospel, rap, jazz and other genres. The atmosphere was primarily festive with Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black vice president, dancing on stage with gospel singer Kirk Franklin.

Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off.

Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and second Independence Day among others.

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