Boone County hosts first solidarity walk to mark Juneteenth

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Celebrants will observe the Juneteenth holiday Friday with a walk through downtown Columbia, one of several local events meant to mark the end of slavery.

Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas, and marks June 19, 1865 as the day Union soldiers landed there and shared the news that slaves were free. The day has taken on extra significance this year among protests and public discussions about policing and race. 

Many University of Missouri Health Care groups have joined together with the organizaiton's emergency services for an inaugural solidarity walk throughout downtown Columbia from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.

The walk is set to begin at the parking lot at Hospital Drive and Tiger Avenue and will end at the Boone County Courthouse.

President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863. However, it wasn’t until the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in April 1865 and the availability of enough soldiers to enforce the law that many Southern slaves were made free, including in Texas.

Another event created to celebrate Juneteenth was the Juneteenth Heritage Walk. The Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., is highlighting a newly completed two-mile African American Heritage Trail in Columbia that features over 30 historical markers.

Karis Church in central Columbia held an event including a Fredrick Douglass re-enactment, food trucks, T-shirts and kits for kids.

According to the event's website, the celebration will end with a burying of a time capsule and a releasing of sky lanterns in memory of black victims of police brutality.

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