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Juneteenth celebrated in Grand Rapids with parade, community events

Representative Helena Scott (D-Detroit) speaks on the Michigan House floor about her bill to make Juneteenth an official state holiday
Photo by Rick Pluta/MPRN
Representative Helena Scott (D-Detroit) speaks on the Michigan House floor about her bill to make Juneteenth an official state holiday

Juneteenth is Wednesday June 19 and celebrations are planned in Grand Rapids to commemorate the holiday

”Juneteenth is an American holiday. It celebrates the African American.”

Crystal Scott-Tunstall is an affiliate professor at Grand Valley State University and one of the leads on its Juneteenth celebrations to which everyone in the community is invited.

“This country belongs to all of us so everyone should celebrate Juneteenth. It is for the ancestors of anyone who is an American.”

On June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and then across Texas, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation – the last area in the United States to receive word.

In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday to provide better understanding of the evolution of the country and its people, and to recognize the ongoing fight for equality.

“People will gather in community to commemorate that time. They will celebrate the hard work of the African American ancestry.”

The celebrations at GVSU kick-off with a Jubilee breakfast at 8:30 and continue with community events throughout the day including a parade at noon followed by an event at Dickinson Buffer Park in Grand Rapids.

More information on GVSU Juneteenth events can be found here.

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