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BY JOHN KREROWICZ
jkrerowicz@kenoshanews.com

Eleven-year-old Maha Ridley viewed Saturday’s Juneteenth Day celebration here as a type of classroom continuing into summer vacation.

“It was interesting to see about when we were beginning to be free,” she said, referring to the collapse of slavery when the Civil War ended in 1865. “Everyone comes together here to learn more about social studies and our history. Knowing about Juneteenth, now I’ll be more grateful for the things we have.”

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“This was something we could all be proud of,” she said.

Maha read about the event and called her friend, Faith Pittman, also 11.

“Juneteenth makes me realize more about our culture,” Faith said. “We need to learn about it.”

This year’s Juneteenth event in Kenosha was held at Lincoln Park, sponsored by the local Urban League. The gathering drew hundreds of participants who listened to music, had faces painted, played in inflatable castles and bought food and merchandise.

Eunice Wilson, from Milwaukee, said she’s been selling Juneteenth T-shirts for some 28 years. But shirt sales by mid-afternoon were eclipsed by the demand for sno-cones.

“The sno-cones sell because they’re hot,” she joked, referring to the 80-plus outdoor temperature. “People want cold and pretty things.”

Wilson said young people often don’t know the meaning of Juneteenth. The T-shirts she sells have text on them that helps explain it, she said.

“When they read what’s on these shirts, they will know about it,” she said.

Maha’s grandmother, Adelene Greene, a Kenosha NAACP second vice president, agreed that many youngsters don’t know the reason behind the celebration.

“They need to know about the historical aspect and how we contributed to this country,” she said. “It’s one thing to show up and have a party, but it’s another to know what it’s all about.”

There’s a silver lining in youth’s murky understanding of the event, however, she said.

“In general, when young people don’t know what it’s all about, the older generation has stepped in and shared with them,” Greene said. “So you’ve got the two generations talking.”