As part of a Juneteenth celebration at Glen Echo Park this coming Sunday, protestors who helped integrate the former Glen Echo Amusement Park in 1960 and some who became Freedom Riders will join the festivities.
Two former protesters in attendance will be Dion Diamond and Joan Trompauer Mulholland, who went on to join the Freedom Riders in the south, according to a press release. Also in attendance will be Esther Delaplaine and Tina Clarke, who were protesters.
Sunday, June 25 is the “Festival of Freedom” at Glen Echo Park from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. It is the final event of the week-long series of events, “Diverse Voices: A Juneteenth Celebration,” presented by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture and the Washington Revels.
The protesters will join a commemorative ceremony on Sunday, which starts with a procession at 12:35 p.m. into the park, per the release.
See a full schedule of Sunday’s activities here. Glen Echo Park is located at 7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Juneteenth recognizes the day when a U.S. General came before a crowd in Texas to read the general order implemented by Abraham Lincoln legally freeing enslaved people. It was June 19, 1865 — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. African Americans have celebrated the day as a “second independence day,” as previously stated this month by County Councilmember Will Jawando.
See MCM’s Juneteenth coverage here.
