CINCINNATI — Communities across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky gathered on Friday to mark Juneteenth with educational bus tours, block parties, freedom walks and community discussions.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure all enslaved people were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
In the historic Village of Glendale, the celebration focused on education. On June 1, Glendale issued a proclamation officially recognizing Juneteenth as a village holiday, which according to Bill Parish, was the culmination of nearly eight years of work by his Eckstein Cultural Arts Center to make the area's history visible to the community.
"The goal wasn't the proclamation, it was just to bring this history about enslaved people moving north," Parish, executive director and founder of the Eckstein Cultural Arts Center, said. "(And about) Glendale being designed as a safe place for enslaved people to settle or to move north."
WATCH: Greater Cincinnati held numerous events for Juneteenth. Here's a roundup
The recognition is all the more meaningful following an incident in December 2025, when Glendale residents learned one of their neighbors took part in an out-of-state neo-Nazi demonstration.
"I think all it does is reminds us that there's still a lot of work to do, and each one of us can do something, just do your part," Parish said.
Parish led educational bus tours this Juneteenth, stopping at historic sites throughout the village. Attendees received handouts highlighting key locations and were encouraged to ask questions and discuss what they saw. The tours were followed by music, food, and community discussion.
In Avondale, the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio held its fifth annual Juneteenth block party, which is a free community event featuring food trucks, children's activities, voter registration, health resources, job training information and more.
"It's just a love fest for the community," said Christie Kuhns, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. "It's not just a holiday for African Americans, it's a holiday for everyone. It's not just our history, it's America's history."
The Urban League also held an art unveiling at its Center for Social Justice in collaboration with Black Art Speak ahead of the block party.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center hosted its third annual Juneteenth Jubilee. For the first time, it added Opal's Walk for Freedom to its programming. The walk honors Dr. Opal Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, who advocated for decades to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and walked 2.5 miles every day for years to raise awareness of its significance.
Participants in the walk also covered 2.5 miles, which is symbolic of the roughly two and a half years that passed between the Emancipation Proclamation and the arrival of Union troops in Galveston.
"Cincinnati is the first and only city in the state of Ohio to host this walk," Suzanne Buzek, senior director of marketing and communications for the Freedom Center, said. "Juneteenth is a reminder that freedom was tenuous for so many people in the early days of our country."
Following the walk, the Freedom Center Juneteenth celebration included a community market, blood donation with Hoxworth Blood Center, food trucks, live entertainment, a panel discussion with cast members of The Lion King and film screenings.
In Covington, the Kentucky Education Association marked a milestone of its own, celebrating Juneteenth as a federal holiday for the first time as an organization. The KEA was already gathered in Covington for its summer leadership training when leaders decided to formally acknowledge the holiday.
"It was really important to us while we had our leaders together to celebrate and acknowledge the history with Juneteenth," said Jessica Hiler, vice president of the Kentucky Education Association.
Hiler said educators understand how important Black history is to shaping American history.
"History is difficult, but I think it's important that we talk about everything that happened in history," Hiler said. "When the slaves were freed, it didn't happen automatically, and there were so many people that were still left enslaved for a period of time, and it's a part of our history that we need to acknowledge."
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