COEUR d’ALENE — As a group of more than 50 people made their way from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church to Independence Point on Thursday night, their message was conveyed in song.

“Juneteenth, Juneteenth, we are free when all are free,” they chanted. “Together we thrive, divided we fall, Idaho is for all."

Led by the North Idaho coalition Idaho for All, the “Freedom Walk” was held in recognition of Juneteenth and a celebration of diversity, said Lauren McCroskey.

McCroskey compared the health of the community with the health of forests when addressing attendees before the walk, explaining that forests with a monoculture of trees often face more health issues and fire risks compared to forests made up of many species.

“I think it’s important to remember that we are similar. ... We are stronger, we thrive when we are diverse,” McCroskey said. “This is the Idaho we want to be.”

“We’re not standing up for ‘who’ is right, but for ‘what’ is right,” added Ian Hicks with St. Luke’s.

Many who took part in the Freedom Walk were longtime Coeur d’Alene residents, including Kelly Burke, who walked with her 2-year-old daughter, Virginia, and her friend Maribel Martinez, also of Coeur d’Alene.

The women carried signs that said “love” and “Happy Independence Day.”

“It’s so important to let the world know that there are people here with love in their hearts,” Burke said. “I know I carry inclusion in my heart.”  

    More than 50 people attended Thursday's Freedom Walk in celebration of Juneteenth in downtown Coeur d'Alene.