Larry and Lynn Krupa were on their way to the airport to fly back home to Portland, Oregon, with their grandson, Zen Duran, when they stopped by the Juneteenth Jubilee celebration Saturday along the historic Avenue of Fashion on Livernois in Detroit.
Lynn Krupa said growing up she didn’t know many Black people and in Oregon, there wasn’t anything like this. So, when she read about the event, she said her family had to come.
“We bought candles from the marketplace, green teas and coffee cups” she said. “But the first thing we bought was a T-shirt about Juneteenth.”
On Saturday, Avenue of Fashion — home to Black-owned businesses — held a Juneteenth Jubilee stroll along the historic avenue to celebrate the day that officially ended the era of slavery for Black people and set them free. Two days before the event, President Joe Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. And so in Detroit, Sharea Ayers, chairperson of Juneteenth Jubilee Detroit, said the best way to honor the holiday is by celebrating and supporting Black-owned businesses.
