Locals commemorate Juneteenth

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – June 19, also known as Juneteenth: a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

In the African American community, it has long represented a sacred day celebrating emancipation and remembering those who suffered under the injustices of slavery.

According to Ryan Dearbone, president of the Bowling Green-Warren County NAACP, Juneteenth is a day to recognize when we all became brothers and sisters under the law.

“Especially with Juneteenth this year, it takes on a different significance than it has in years past. Obviously we’ve got more people learning about Juneteenth and hopefully participating in Juneteenth. I think based on what we have seen in the past few weeks, past few months, there has been a lot of anger and hatred and divisiveness and confusion and just a lot of different emotions coming up. I hope that Juneteenth this year is a chance for everyone to come together and celebrate,” said Dearbone.

This year is different than past years, coming during a time when people are becoming more aware of the struggles that African Americans face according to Michael Morrow, director of the Struggle for Emancipation for Equality in Kentucky museum in Russellville.

“It’s a part of America waking up. We’ve been asleep for so long. For so long, what happened to African Americans in America historically just didn’t mean anything. You had a lot of African American historians who tried to get the message out there. Who would have ever thought that a guy named George Floyd would get killed and this would bring a new awakening to the nation,” said Morrow.

“It’s a long time coming. This is something that should have been recognized a long time ago. It shouldn’t take what has happened recently in the past few weeks and months to have made this a celebrated holiday not only for African Americans but for everyone,” said Dearbone.

Some companies and some cities nationwide have chosen to mark Juneteenth as a holiday for the first time this year.

Locally, August 8 is considered an emancipation anniversary in South Central Kentucky and many people recognize that day as well.