The Umoja Association is presenting the eleventh annual Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 18 beginning at 10 a.m. The line-up will begin at 9 a.m. at Wossman High School. The parade will begin on Burg Jones Lane and end at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo Pavilion.
Marie Brown, director of Juneteenth Umoja Association, said, "We will end up at the pavilion for a family picnic. Everything is free." There will be shrimp, catfish, hamburgers, and hotdogs at the picnic.
There is a $20 entry fee for floats. Floats, Volunteers, and bands are still being accepted from now until the start of the parade. For more information, please visit Juneteenth Umoja on Facebook.
The word Juneteenth is a mashup of June 19, which marks the day in 1865 when the remaining slaves in the United States were freed in Galveston, Texas by federal troops. Juneteenth is a national holiday that celebrates the commemoration of the ending of slavery. It is considered the "longest-running African-American holiday."