Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
“It’s a celebration of freedom; of how far Black people have come,” said Janae Colter, of Lawrence, cradling her two-week-old daughter, Zya, at Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
The Lawrence, Kansas Juneteenth Organization will hold a big downtown parade and celebration on Saturday, and plenty of events are planned for Thursday through Sunday.
Tricia Masenthin/Lawrence Times
Playwright Rita Rials believes love can break the chains of bondage, and she’s taking that message to the stage at the Lied Center in a community celebration of Juneteenth.
Douglas County Commissioners on Wednesday granted an uncommon ask for funding for a community event.
The Lawrence, KS Juneteenth Organization is offering cash prizes for winning essay submissions from 9th – 12th grade students on the topic of voting rights.
“As of June 18, 2021, Juneteenth is recognized as a national holiday. But the end of slavery was also a sweeping national declaration, and yet the material conditions of Black people were left largely unimproved,” Jameelah Jones writes.
Mac Moore
Jerome Edwards said during a panel Saturday that Juneteenth is a celebration of the abolition of slavery — but the penal system is part of slavery. He and other panelists said the “so-called justice system” needs to be dismantled.
Leah Evans Photography / @leahevansphoto on Instagram
Black Literature & Arts Collective of Kansas (B.L.A.C.K.) Lawrence will celebrate Juneteenth and the release of Tai Amri Spann-Ryan’s book of poetry on Friday.
With uncertainty surrounding the situation with COVID-19 and health regulations — but also with certainty that they’d have plenty more than 50 people in attendance — the Lawrence, KS Juneteenth Organization planned a virtual celebration this year.
The organizer of the Black Summer Juneteenth BBQ, slated for Saturday, has planned a big event — but she still wants to make it bigger.
