Louisville honors students, community leaders with 2026 Juneteenth Jubilee Commission awards

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Students and community leaders were honored Tuesday during Louisville's annual Juneteenth Jubilee Commission awards.

The awards were presented during a ceremony at Baxter Community Center.

The Juneteenth Jubilee Commission is made up of 17 representatives from the around the city that are well-versed in the community arts, education and faith-based spaces. The board is tasked with developing cultural events to celebrate Juneteenth while raising awareness and education on the importance of that celebration.

The awards honor Louisville community leaders who have made meaningful contributions to the commission's cause.

Mayor Craig Greenberg was joined by Vanessa McPhail, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Equity, and Dawn Wilson, board chair of the Juneteenth Jubilee Commission, to recognize the winners.

This year, local high school students were also invited to write an essay reflecting on what Juneteenth means to them.

The student winners are:

1st Place: Ja'Caelyn Shelby, PRP High School
2nd Place: Jayla Foree, Grace James Academy
3rd Place: Muhammad Usman Rasuli, Newcomer Academy

The full list of 2026 Juneteenth Jubilee Commission award winners are:

The McCraney Amplify Award: Ricky L. Jones
Antiquity Award-Past: Dr. Kevin W. Cosby
The Village Award: Dr. Charles Elliott
The Hope Award: April Reynolds
The Cultural Legacy in Action Award: Lamont Collins, Roots 101
The Collaborative Barrier Breaker Award: DeShawn King and Isaiah Jones, Good Brothers Pharmacy
The Rising Freedom Builder Award: LeShaia Davis-Johnson
The Legacy Innovator Award: Dr. Corrie Shull

For more information on this year's winners, click here.

Juneteenth is observed June 19 and marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people were free. The order came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Click here for a list of 2026 Juneteenth celebrations planned in the Louisville area.