Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States, and many in the Greater Lansing area plan to commemorate the holiday this weekend.
Michigan State University professor LeConté Dill is a panelist at an event Thursday kicking off the fifth annual 517 Juneteenth Weekend in Lansing's REO Town.
“It's very important, because we are free-ish,” Dill said. “We are on a constant struggle for liberation.”
Dill added that Juneteenth is an intergenerational observance.
“From the young to the old, and everybody in between can partake, in not just celebration, but education and gathering and commemorating and even mourning—but also being in joy.”
The celebration in REO Town runs through June 22.
The Lansing Juneteenth Committee is hosting a festival Friday and Saturday with music, vendors and activities at St. Joseph Park.
Meridian Township will also hold its fifth annual Juneteenth Celebration on Friday, June 20 from 3-7 p.m. at the Marketplace on the Green Pavilion.
Jackson’s Juneteenth Committee has its annual celebration scheduled for Saturday, June 21 in downtown Jackson.
