11 hours ago
Minnesotans celebrate Juneteenth through food, music and history lessons
Across Minnesota, communities came together to celebrate a day that's more than a holiday, but the heartbeat of freedom.
Juneteenth, now recognized as a federal holiday, is more than a day off; it's an important reminder of freedom delayed but never denied. It marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas learned they were free.
In south Minneapolis, people gathered for food and music as children jumped Double Dutch. In north Minneapolis, there was a parade full of excitement.
But at Historic Fort Snelling, people took a different approach. More than 400 people took a guided tour on the grounds where slavery once existed.
Dred and Harriet Scott lived and labored there in the 1830s. A man whose fight for freedom was one of the most infamous Supreme Court decisions, where the courts denied Black people freedom.
For Loretta Kennedy and her family, it was crucial to book the tour.
"Everybody needs to know their name and who they were," Kennedy said. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here."
It's a day filled with love and rooted in history and hope.
