Barren County holds 2 Juneteenth celebrations, 1 with special guest Charles Booker

BARREN COUNTY, Ky. – Barren County is celebrating Juneteenth in a big way with multiple celebrations throughout the community, one with a special guest.

Over at the Barren County Glasgow YMCA, the organization held a celebration of their own with three local guest speakers sharing their stories.

Local kids and adults got to hear their stories be told and learn some of the trials and challenges they faced during their lives, which helped shape them into who they are today.

At the same time, over at Twyman Park, the Boys and Girls Club was holding another celebration with special guest Democratic Senate Nominee Charles Booker in attendance.

Members of the community gathered to get a chance to meet Booker and enjoy some good music, food and games to celebrate the holiday.

When asked about the importance of celebrating Juneteenth, Booker said, “It reminds us of the pain of our story, the challenges in the ills that we faced as a country. But also the power of progress and the promise that chains can still be broken.”

Any Juneteenth celebration is big, but to have two going on in the same community simultaneously with a public official attending shows how much the community of Glasgow and Barren County value the holiday and want to celebrate the city’s black history.

“I’m glad that we all scheduled it on the same day, and we all got all these wonderful speakers to come out and tell their story. It’s truly a blessing to get Glasgow up and running in the community involved with our Juneteenth programs,” said Shalika Smith, membership coordinator at the Barren County YMCA.

Booker, a Louisville native, shared that he also has family in Glasgow and loves what the city is doing. Not only that, but he views the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky as his family and wants to make his way throughout Kentucky to spread the love.

“Because from the hood to the holler, we all have so much more in common than anything that could divide us. So I’m trying to get all over Kentucky. I love coming to Glasgow and we’re going to make some noise together for family,” Booker stated