Community members from Lawrence and beyond headed downtown Saturday for the annual Juneteenth celebration of Black liberation, heritage and independence.
The national holiday recognizes the day the last enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation — June 19, 1865.
The Lawrence event included a parade, food trucks, Underground Railroad bus tours, a fun run, recognition of community members and essay contest winners and more. High school students participating in the essay contest could submit original essays, poems, songs or raps to interpret this year’s theme, “Standing as one … Love over fear.”
The celebration was set to continue until 8 p.m. Saturday.
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Molly Adams (she/her), photojournalist emerita, worked with The Lawrence Times from May 2022 through April 2026. Check out more of her work for the Times here.
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