Photo by Tyler Nelson
Supervisor Willie Johnson Jr. speaking to the small crowd at Atkinson Triangle Park before the Juneteenth flag was raised.
In a small ceremony on the morning of June 14, local leaders raised the Juneteenth flag at Atkinson Triangle Park (936 W. Atkinson Ave.). Mayor Tom Barrett joined in the ceremony put on by Xmen United LLC, We Are One SEC and the NAACP State Conference.
photo by Tyler Nelson
Supervisor Willie Johnson Jr. of District 13 also joined in the festivities to kick off the Juneteenth celebration.
Most speakers said the holiday has been under celebrated and admitted that they grew up unaware of its meaning. They’d like to see more focus being put on educating the next generations on the significance of Juneteenth to better appreciate how far the country and the city have come.
While Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration is back in person this year for its 50th anniversary, there are other ways to celebrate virtually as well. We Are One SEC launched an app to celebrate Juneteenth worldwide. The app features testimonials from groups from Milwaukee and Chicago and more.
