At the Juneteenth celebration at West Lane Park in Harrodsburg that was a joint collaboration between Danville and Harrodsburg, Danville City Commissioner James “J.H.” Atkins gave a speech about the history of Juneteenth. When he spoke about how the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves, he said for example his mother’s ancestors in Virginia became free from slavery under it but not his father’s ancestors in Kentucky. Speakers also included the mother of Charles Booker, who is running for U.S. Senate, Kentucky NAACP president Marcus Ray, Danville comedian Heather Romero and other individuals. - Photo by Olivia Mohr
Local activist Cheryl Burton, far right, has a chat at the Juneteenth event Saturday. She served on the board planning the event. - Photo by Olivia Mohr
A few board members of the West Lane Park board are pictured, from left: Maureen Dunn, secretary; Kathryn VanDyke, board member; and Onita Thurman, board member. They were accepting donations for the park at the event. - Photo by Olivia Mohr
A couple of vendors, including Dunn’s BBQ, a family business, and Wake and Bake, served food at the Juneteenth event. - Photo by Olivia Mohr