The mood in North Omaha on Saturday morning was celebratory as this year’s Juneteenth festivities kicked off.
Hundreds gathered along North 24th Street for Omaha’s annual Juneteenth Parade, which included entries from local businesses and organizations, a drill team competition and music.
The parade ran north along 24th Street between Lake and Sprague Streets, the center of historic North Omaha. Parade-watchers lined the streets, cheered for the several drill teams that performed and collected candy.
Dozens of parade entries were part of the celebration, representing local state senators, the Omaha Public Schools, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and several Omaha-area companies. There were also motorcycles and mini cars. Community organization Families of the Stolen had an entry remembering individuals lost to violence.
Trent and Connie Outlaw sat in lawn chairs as they watched the parade entries go by. Trent Outlaw said that he enjoys attending the parade each year and that it’s a good time to see people he hasn’t seen in a while and to discover what the neighborhood is up to.
He said he thinks some members of the younger generation aren’t as aware of the significance of the holiday and what it represents.
“It’s supposed to celebrate Black history,” he said.
Juneteenth, which is celebrated annually on June 19, marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that those enslaved were now free. That date came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.
Shonda Sparks was at Saturday’s parade with her daughter. She said she’s been coming to the parade since she was little and likes seeing the community come together each year.
“I like seeing all the businesses and the drill teams, and just the positivity of it,” Sparks said.
Other events were planned to follow the parade on Saturday, including the Omaha Freedom Festival and Juneteenth Joy Fest.
Anita Ross said that she doesn’t think she’s ever missed the parade and that she likes seeing everyone come together to celebrate an important part of Black history.
“I just like the fact that everyone comes together to watch this,” she said. “It’s our history.”
Members of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity take part in the Juneteenth Parade in Omaha on Saturday. Hundreds gathered along North 24th Street to watch the parade, which included entries from local businesses and organizations, a drill team competition and music.