GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — On Friday, June 19, a protest has been planned in downtown Grand Rapids. The March for Black Lives starts at 6 p.m. in Rosa Parks Circle, and it follows weeks of continuous protests in the city.
This week's event will start with speakers then they plan to march through the downtown area.
Following the march, a Juneteenth Celebration will be held on the corner of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue NW. The group Family Over Everything has maintained a continuous presence downtown since May 30, and they will be hosting the post-march event.
LIVE UPDATES
7 p.m. - The march ended at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Pearl Street NW where a drag queen performance was held. This was the kickoff to the Juneteenth celebration, which will run until 10 p.m.
6:30 p.m. - The group started marching in the downtown area. The actual march was planned to be about 20 minutes, so that people could feel free to join the Juneteenth celebration after.
Rep. Justin Amash participated in the march.
6 p.m. - The march started in Rosa Parks Circle where the crowd of a couple hundred heard from several speakers.
5 p.m. - The march is set to begin at 6 p.m. and last for about 20 minutes. The group Family Over Everything, which has been demonstrating downtown for three weeks, is helping to organize a Juneteenth celebration following the march.
DeeDee Chaunte and Trevin Gibson with FOE said everyone who participates in the march is invited to join the Juneteenth celebration. There will be a drag queen performance, spoken word and poetry from Black artists, hot dogs, music and Zumba. This will run from 6 - 10 p.m.
"We wanted to just give a space, no only for us to stand out here protest like we have been doing the past three weeks, but to also celebrate the goodness that it is to be a free person in this place," said Chaunte.
BACKGROUND
Protests started in Grand Rapids after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Demonstrators are marching for Black Lives Matter and to call for reform to policing.
On Friday, there are also a number of Juneteenth celebrations happening throughout Grand Rapids.
Juneteenth is the annual celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation on 1863 is recognized as the end of slavery, but the holiday commemorating the freedom of African Americans was recognized only after the last slaves were told about the order more than two years later.
Juneteenth is a combination of the month and date the holiday is observed, June 19. Forty-seven states officially recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
