In Focus: Juneteenth Celebrated With Ceremony in Centralia

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Multiculturally Minded of Lewis County organized a Juneteenth celebration that began at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Pine Street Plaza in downtown Centralia. Usha Brooks and Lujan Rodriguez organized the event, which was cosponsored by the Centralia Downtown Association.

“Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom from slavery for African-Americans,” Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston said in a statement. “As a country, America is proudly rooted in freedom, but historically freedom for some has come at the price of freedom for others. This celebration recognizes the continued effort toward freedom and justice for all in our country. As a city founded by a Black man who was the son of a slave, Juneteenth has special significance. We benefit from the freedoms George Washington experienced here to own land and his generosity to build the town through donating his own land is a legacy we still enjoy today.”