COEUR d’ALENE — Juneteenth is a day of celebration for all Americans. 

Panelists shared that message with community members Thursday at the Human Rights Education Institute in downtown Coeur d’Alene during a discussion about the holiday and its impact.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free. It was the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the Civil War. 

“I look at it not as a Black holiday, but as a day we can all celebrate,” said Kitara Johnson-Jones, a motivational speaker and diversity and inclusion trainer. 

Scott Finnie, director of the Africana Education Program at Eastern Washington University, reflected on how it must have felt to receive that news. 

“To hear this word ‘emancipation’ is to actually start this belief that maybe, just maybe, out of the depths of oppression, out of the depths of dehumanization, out of the depths of being denied who you are as an individual, there’s a possibility and a hope,” he said. “I think that was the planting of confirmation inside a group of people, 4 million at that time, who had been in bondage.” 

Coeur d’Alene City Councilor Dan Gookin acknowledged incidents in recent years that put the city on the map, including one where an 18-year-old Post Falls resident hurled racist slurs at members of the University of Utah’s women’s basketball team. 

“We came out strong against it,” he said of the City Council. 

Last year, the Coeur d’Alene City Council approved a new ordinance to combat hate crimes. Under the ordinance, if a person commits a crime motivated by a person’s “actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability or national origin,” they may face an additional criminal charge. 

Gookin said passing the ordinance was part of a larger effort to change Coeur d’Alene’s image as a place where hate is commonplace and acceptable. 

“We’re getting a reputation and it’s pretty bad,” he said. 

That reputation has a real economic impact, Gookin said, making businesses and events reluctant to come to Coeur d’Alene. 

Johnson-Jones said the road to progress and social change is a long one, marked by obstacles. 

Lasting change can take generations to establish, she said, and it’s important not to lose hope along the way. 

“I don’t have to win the battle today, but I will win the war,” she said. “Why? Because I’m going to teach my kids and my kids are going to teach their kids. We can’t get tired of the work like this. You have to continue to fight for freedom.” 

Johnson-Jones emphasized the importance of showing up in one’s community — connecting with others, educating and sharing history, pushing for positive change. 

“Just showing up and being yourself makes a difference,” she said.