NAAM hosts a weekend of celebrations for Juneteenth

Over the weekend, the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle will host a series of Juneteenth celebrations, highlighting a variety of events, talks, and activism in the city celebrating the nation's newest federal holiday.

Juneteenth started in 1865 in Texas, when union troops told thousands of enslaved Black people that they had been emancipated.

Despite that, Black Americans have faced resistance as they began to assert their freedom. The legacy of those injustices rooted in white supremacy still continues today.

“Juneteenth is an opportunity for all of us, no matter who we are, for all of us to commit ourselves to taking action for equity," said LaNesha DeBardelaben, president and CEO of the Northwest African American Museum. "If we don't, who will?"

Over the next few days the museum will host a youth game show, a film festival, and a final community skate party celebration on Monday, June 19.

Events from other groups around the city celebrating Juneteenth include a workers' march organized by the Juneteenth Committee to Stop Police Terror and End Systemic Racism, and an Africa Town Community Land Trust celebration at Jimi Hendrix Park.