The 33th annual Juneteenth Festival in Ogden on Saturday celebrated the first year that Utah recognizes June 19 as a state holiday.
“It was an honor to carry the Juneteenth bill this year,” Hollins said during the festival. “Please enjoy Juneteenth — get out, celebrate, but have conversations also with your young people. Talk about your family history, talk about American history, talk about our heroes, and what we have done to not only build the United States, but to build this state up.”
The festival featured food, booths selling accessories and more as children played and listened to music on Saturday afternoon. Cox also commended the organizers of the annual event, including Betty Sawyer — former president of the NAACP’s Ogden branch and director of the Project Success Coalition, which hosts the Juneteenth Festival.
Cox said Utahns are trying to make the state a place where everyone feels welcome and a part of the community, and although “we’re not quite there yet,” the state is getting closer every day — especially with recognizing events like Juneteenth. “As a Black woman living in Utah, it’s been absolutely powerful,” Mittendorf said. “Clearly, there’s still a lot of education that needs to happen around it, because there’s people who still aren’t aware of what it is. But for me, it’s so meaningful because of recognition of my heritage, and the fact that my people weren’t all free when we celebrate the Fourth of July.”
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