LANSING, Mich. — "June 19th in 1865 when word finally got to Texas to the enslaved people that they were freed," Rebecca Stimson explained.
The day we now acknowledge as Juneteenth that has memories that are still connected to many families in mid-Michigan.
"My family were to sharecroppers. My mother was not far removed from slavery. My mother is deceased now. She was born in 1930s, and I was just having a discussion about how close we still are to slavery, not very far removed from slavery," said Jackie Galloway.
"I've had the the chance to be part of desegregation when I was in junior high school. And I was bused from a very white community....and got to know people that I otherwise would never have had the opportunity to know, and it opened a lot of the world to me, and it means a lot to me to know people who are different than I am, and to see the gifts that we all have that we all share and the struggles that we all have that we all share," Stimson said.
But with more recognition of the holiday in recent years, people in the community says progress has been made.
"You have to start somewhere it's a first step," said Raven Griffin.
"It's not really a celebration for me anymore. It means that there's an acknowledgment there," Galloway said.
"We are making progress. It's slow, but it's necessary," Stimson said.
Juneteenth has different meanings to different people throughout the area, but this week, this community has come together to celebrate freedom and change.
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