Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has signed a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth and says he will encourage lawmakers to pass a bill next year to recognize it as a state holiday. Juneteenth commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free 155 years ago. Beshear says it's important to remind people that the impacts of slavery continue to linger and celebrate “that at least portions of that dark chapter ended.” The small Kentucky city of Midway made Juneteenth an official holiday on Wednesday.
In Lexington Juneteenth events got under way at noon with a bike ride in Veterans Park. The annual Juneteenth Jubilee at the African cemetery on 7th Street is scheduled for 7 this evening. There’s also the communal healing drum circle at Cheapside Pavilion on Main Street which starts at 8:30.