The sounds of drum beats were met with cheers and applause at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s outdoor stage Wednesday evening as jubilant performances by area students helped kick off the Juneteenth celebration with fanfare at the Green Show.
Dozens of attendees filled the lawn and nearby bricks to watch more than one dozen performances paying homage to those who came before. Juneteenth, which became a federally recognized holiday in 2021, celebrates the day on June 19, 1865, when U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, and announced that enslaved people were free.
BASE youth dancers closed the Juneteenth Green Show celebration with a hip-hop dance to “Jet Blue Jet” by Major Lazer. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
Ten-year-old Rae took the stage to share about the significance of Juneteenth and why it is a day to celebrate freedom and the rich cultural heritage of the Black community. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
