Friday marks the start of celebrations and remembrances that will continue throughout the weekend as the community observes Juneteenth.
Juneteenth has grown in recent years as more people come to recognize the significance of the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lawrielle West is the executive director of the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM). She says it’s important to understand how freedom, liberation and self-determination for the Black community have shaped local history.
“What it means to lean into the Black experience, especially if you are not Black, is to be able to take a moment to learn, take a moment to lean into uncomfortability and make a space for Black community but also make a space for other folks to come out and learn, to enjoy, and to send support in the moment.”
West says AACHM is holding a day of community service on Friday to help restore Ypsilanti’s historically Black Woodlawn Cemetery.
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