The driving force behind this historic event was Ms. Shauna Hicks-Lee, a woman of vision, conviction, and tenacity. “Juneteenth marks freedom,” she said in an interview held during the celebration, “but we know freedom didn’t come easy—and in many ways, we’re still fighting for it.” Black liberation today means visibility and ownership in spaces once closed off. “Once upon a time,” she reflected, “we didn’t have access to facilities like this. Now we do. Now people who don’t look like us see our vision and support us. That is part of liberation.”